The 2nd Generation
by KittyJooce
Summary: Hikari Kurosaki hasn't been home in a few years... maybe more like ten. During her years in the Human World, she's made very unique friends, and possibly a more-than-friends kind of guy. One little accident and all that comes crashing down, forcing her to make a decision. Go back home or stay where she is? But first, she wants to remember how it all started.
1. Start from Where You Are

**_Hey guys, it's me again. Just trying to fix my story to make it make more sense when you read. I'm putting a lot more little details so things don't get confusing. I'll try to update the other chapters and new ones too. _**

**_Enjoy. And here's my disclaimer: I do not own this series, just the characters I made up._**

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><p>"Hikari, it's time to wake up." A woman's voice called to me from a distance, the dimness of the room made it hard to see where exactly.<p>

"No mommy... five more minutes.." I heard myself mumble under my breath, a groan softly leaving my lips as I turned to the side.

Suddenly, the light shone all around and my body flew up at the bright light. I was rubbing my face when I saw him, just from the corner of my eye. His graying goatee was a huge giveaway as he stepped creepily towards me. Then with a warrior's cry, he leaped into the air, and shouted

"THAT'S NOT HOW YOU WAKE UP CHILDREN!"

Within that time, I was already off the bed, my leg coming around to roundhouse kick him in the face. Grandpa screamed in agony as my foot made contact, his body flying towards the doorway he came through. I waited and listened as he fell down every step of the stairway, landing on the bottom with a thud. When all was still, my body naturally fell against the bed again, sleepiness overcoming me for a second.

"Hikari, don't kick him in the face that hard. Go for his gut next time and get up." Karin, a different woman, advised me as she stepped through my door with a basket of clothes.

"I'll take note of that, thanks auntie." I yawned loudly as I lazily rolled off my bed with a thud, forcing myself to get up.

She nodded and smiled at me, turning on her heel towards my door. As soon as it closed, I sat back up and scratched the back of my neck while stifling a yawn. My window was open, so it let in a nice early morning breeze when I finally got around to get dressed. Once I had appropriate clothes on, I made my way downstairs while forcing my hair into a semi-messy braid.

Karin and Yuzu, my two aunts that I lived with, were happily sitting together in the kitchen having breakfast. The door to their flower shop was open, so the breeze let in the aromas from all the different kinds of delicacies through. Grandpa was still withering on the bottom step as I jumped over him and easily slid into my chair for breakfast. As usual, Yuzu got up and passed me a plate full of eggs and toast while Karin quietly ate her food. Before I could even take a bite, Grandpa miraculously jumped up and tried to attack me one last time. But Karin got in the middle and punched him right through the front door, an angry look in her eyes.

"Go back to the clinic! You have a job to do!"

Yuzu and I stifled a laugh as she returned to her seat like nothing happened, Grandpa shouting angrily from outside that he was leaving. It was any ordinary Saturday, with me helping around the house and the shop as they worked. It wasn't until the afternoon when the deliveries were supposed to be made.

"Hikari! Delivery time!"

"Where to first, auntie?"

"The old man down the street, you know..."

"Mr. Kashima?"

"Yeah him. Here's his order, we have about four other ones so don't take your time alright?"

"No problemo Karin. Be back in a second."

I received a small pat to my shoulder as I made my way out, something that never really happened. As I walked, it became clear that things were not going to be the same to me... I know, I got all that from a small pat to my shoulder but mind you, she wasn't the touchy-love aunt... that was Yuzu. Plus, I had this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, and after these ten years from being away from home... it was a sure sign that something was going to happen.

* * *

><p>The late afternoon breeze was much stronger as I walked down town to my destination. People were minding their own business and completely unaware of the world around them. Pluses on the other hand were wandering as if they needed to be somewhere. Some stopped and said hi to me, while others ignored my presence and muttered strange things to themselves. The younger souls skipped along the sidewalk as I passed through, but stopped midway as something caught there attention.<p>

"What's wrong guys?"

I didn't even get to hear their answers as they scurried off into the bushes away from me. But by then, it was obvious of what scared them. His spiritual pressure was a dead giveaway on how strong he was, but it might have been his hair color too. He was squatting down to the ground, his hand gently patting a little boy's shoulder as he cried out loud for his momma. It made me laugh to see him all flustered about the situation, his arms frantically waving around to stop anyone who could help.

"Geez C.J... making kids cry is one of your specialties isn't it?"

"Mind your own business Hikari." He growled out loud as I came over, smiling a little as I handed him the flowers.

"Lost your momma huh?"

"I-I c-can't find h-h-her..." The little boy sobbed into my shoulder as he suddenly leaped into my arms for comfort.

"Shh, it's going to be alright... right C.J?"

"Sure, if the boy doesn't hate me."

"He doesn't hate you! You're just too scary, isn't that right?" I asked the little boy, who finally stopped crying as I lifted him in the air.

He had big black eyes that looked to and fro between me and C.J, who nodded once as he looked back to me. I smiled softly at him as I turned around towards my best friend, who gave me a pretend shocked face. The boy chuckled as I set him back to thr ground so I could smack C.J's head about five times.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop being scary!?"

"I'm not! I'm not!"

"You never listen to me do you?"

"But Hikari...I tried this time, I really did."

"He did big sister!" The boy intervened, covering C.J's cowering body with his own. "He did try to be nice, but he's just so big it scared me!"

"Well then... C.J you know what to do."

"Yes Hikari." He sighed out loud, handing me back the bouquet before grabbing the boy and hoisting him into the air.

"I'll use my super-human size and let you get on my shoulders! If you're this tall, we'll be able to find your mom in no time!"

"Yay!"

Both of them were laughing now as I started to walk away towards the corner. But then I heard a faint whistle, a semi-familiar one that sent chills down my spine. My body did a quick one-eighty as I caught sight of my friend again, a strange look in his eyes. But I brushed him away with a small smile, lifting the flowers up to tell him I was running late. He nodded and whistled a different tune, smiling his psychotic grin at me before running with the boy on his shoulders still.

"Oh brother..."

By the time I got to where I wanted to be, it was late and Karin was already calling me on my cell. In my head, my little voice was telling me to hurry up and give the old man his flowers. But I liked this guy, he lived in a cute little brick house covered in blue-ivy and always chatted with everyone. It was kind of sad knowing that he was all alone since his wife passed away, but he seemed pretty fine to be by himself.

"Hello Hikari-Chan, are those for me?" He greeted me with a bright smile as I handed him the flowers.

"Of course they're for you, I hope you enjoy them."

"I always like the flowers you give me, they seem so much brighter than those other guys."

"I'm glad to here that, thank you."

"A rough day so far?"

"Eh?"

"You have such deep lines, is something wrong?"

"Oh no! It's just that, I got this feeling like something's coming, but I'm not prepared..." I answered as honestly as I could, laughing awkwardly to make the conversation go on.

"Well, don't be afraid to ask for help from your friends. They might be able to get you prepared, you'll be surprised."

I stopped laughing and just stared at him for a minute to let the words sink in. Those were pretty strong words for an old guy, as if he knew what I was debating in my head the entire time. He laughed at me, which made me come back to the world and smile back. Karin's ring tone interrupted us, even louder than before as my hand slapped against my hip to shut it off. I wasn't able to give him a proper goodbye, but he seemed to be okay as I ran down the stairs.

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><p>"Hiiiiiiikarrriii!" A high child-like voice shouted behind me, the wind blowing my hair in my face.<p>

"Miyu-" I gasped suddenly as something bashed into me and brought my body to the ground.

My elbows exploded with pain as the weight landed against my chest, making it hard to breath. She pushed herself up against my stomach, and then decided to beat me while I was stuck under her. Round dark blue eyes stared down at me angrily, her petite hands hitting me in all the wrong spots.

"Dude! You were supposed to catch me on your back!"

"How was I supposed to know that! Getofmeithurts...dammit your violent side is showing!"

She finally stopped midway into punching me in the face, her short auburn hair falling to the sides of her face. It took her a minute to finally get off me, her little star charms clinking together as she bunny-hopped off. There was a bright smile on her face as she turned back to me, fixing her hair back into place. I sat on the ground for a second, letting the pain numb down before I made an attempt to stand.

"Need a little help?"

"Please? My elbows are killing me, and don't freak if I cough up a little blood."

She rolled her eyes as she walked slowly towards me, extending her hand inch by inch. I growled angrily at her when something grasped me around my shoulder, lifting me up from the ground. Her face was shocked when I turned around to see an older boy behind me, his glasses rimmed on the tip of his nose. My voice got caught in between my throat, a bright and noticeably warm blush on my cheeks as he stared at me.

"Anything to say, Kurosaki?" His deep voice made me tremble a little, his reiatsu pushing down on me like a wall.

"Thanks... Ishida-Senpai."

"Miyuki, what did I tell you about jumping on people in the first place?" He completely ignored me, staring right at Miyu with his big hazel eyes.

"S'not my fault, she moved first."

"Honestly, you're like a five-year old thanks to that guy."

"Yo Hikari! Better move before I run your tiny self over!" C.J's loud booming voice was heard from down the corner, his infamous grin on his face the entire way.

Ishida-Senpai, or better known as Kouhei Ishida, grabbed his younger sister and pulled her out of the way while I stayed in my spot. C.J was coming fast, but knowing that I refused to move, he skidded his foot against the ground until it stopped just inches from me. His tall, over-lean body towered over my short built... but so did everyone else. Besides Miyuki.

"Hey short-stuff, done making deliveries already?" He asked me while ruffling my hair to my displeasure.

"No, I just got sidetracked and knocked down."

"Miyu again huh?"

"Why does everyone instantly insinuate it was me?" She pouted out loud as Senpai rolled his eyes in her direction.

"Because everyone knows that Senpai can't even touch me with a ten-foot pole."

"On rare occasions I can touch you... like today." He murmured to himself, pushing his glasses up to hide his face.

Miyu and C.J laughed at this, glancing over every now and then when Senpai wasn't looking. I had a feeling that they liked each other, but for obvious reasons they couldn't really be together... say the fact that her brother would totally kill him...

And... he was an arrancar. Which would give her brother the perfect reason to protect her.

But to me, they would make a cute couple despite their families and stuff. Plus C.J had the hugest crush on her since I introduced them about three years ago. So, like any good friend I wanted to push them together... in literal terms of course.

"Miyu, your hair's sticking up..."

"Where?"

"Right there."

"Where Hikari, I can't see the top of my head." She groaned angrily to herself, pushing down her hair as I twirled behind C.J's body.

"Hey Light, where'd ya go?"

"Oops, I tripped!"

He was about to spin around, but my hands made contact with his back before he could see me. His body nearly flew on top of her, but she pushed against his chest to my surprise. Out of reflex her grabbed onto her hands to help the motion slow down, which made it even better. Senpai nearly popped a blood vessel if I hadn't start to laugh into his shoulder for some ungodly reason. He didn't flinch or move away, his body kinda swayed as I breathed a little harder into his shirt.

"Hikari..." C.J's angry voice called out to me, but I was too busy pushing myself away from Ishida's shirt to notice.

"Whoops, sorry Senpai."

"It's.. no problem." He said while hiding a bright red blush on his cheeks to my amazement.

"Hikari I'm not done talking with you."

"Oh would you look at that, Karin's calling me. I think I should go before she kills me."

"Not before I kill you!"

"Better luck next time!" I shouted easily as he made a grab for me, but I jumped high enough to dodge and run away.

"See ya around Miyu, you too Ishida!"

"Hikari!"

"I love you C.J!"

I was about halfway down the sidewalk when he cursed loudly into the air followed by his contagious laughter. Miyu sort of giggled as well, leaving Senpai looking towards my way with a crooked smile on his face. My body slowly began a trot as I tried to run backwards only for a moment. But then my feet tripped over a high piece of sidewalk and next thing I knew I was on my back spewing out the few curse words I knew. I vaguely heard Miyu and C.J gasp to themselves, but Ishida was the only one who called out to me.

"Kurosaki, are you alright!?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, totally fine! Ah-ha...ha-ha..." I said out loud to them, my hand reflexively scratching the back of my neck.

"Sorry about that guys, gotta go for real this time. Bye!"

All of them laughed this time as I got up and scurried down the sidewalk. Thank goodness no one came over to help, they would have seen the bright blush that grew on my face. Normally, I would have brushed it off like nothing and laughed at my own mistake. But because Ishida's voice called out to me, it left a different ring and gave me weird goose-bumbs.

_"Geez Ciel, can't you worry about me a little more than Senpai... for goodness sake the boy hates my guts..."_


	2. People of the Past

**Chapter 2 **

By that Sunday morning, everything school-related drained my strength to the point of no return. But when the bright sun entered my room and half blinded me to death, there was no reason to go back to sleep. As I checked the time and saw it said only seven o'clock, I yawned loudly and rolled lazily off the bed. Things clattered softly as my hands picked through my dresser for something decent to wear, grabbing onto a nice gray cotton dress. Once that was done, I started to tip-toe through the door when something glowed in my eye.

"Hey..." I laughed quietly to myself as the glistening thing turned out to be my cherished necklace. "I found you Hyorinmaru...missed me?"

The little dragon pendant curled tightly against the icy-white stone it watched over, it's red eyes blinking a few time for my amusement. I quickly chained it around my neck and headed down the stairs before Yuzu could get up. My body danced around the kitchen and through the shop where I snatched a few flowers from the display. And just as quick, a slightly damaged vase happened to fall into my hands as I reached the door. They wouldn't have noticed anyway, Karin was going to throw it away... why not use it?

The sun was burning bright already as I stepped out and shut the door as quietly as possible. Our neighbor just started her jog when she spotted me, and like any good neighbor she smiled and acknowledged me. Which of course I did as well, but the sight of me sneaking out and carrying things made her laugh and continue on. Things were going like they should, until I heard a crash coming from beside me, and all I could think of was Karin had gotten up early to do stuff.

"No auntie it's not what you think!" I said in my quietest voice, holding the vase and flowers in my hand above my face.

But there was no answer, only the sounds of more trash being pushed aside. My eyes looked over and saw a black cat mozing along the edge of the lid, as if it was teasing me. Her big yellow eyes were staring right at me as I let out a huge sigh. My heart skipped a few more beats before I found myself laughing into the flowers.

"Geez you had me worried there for a second... here kitty... I don't bite."

She seemed to roll her eyes as her body gracefully jumped down and sat down in front of me. By her actions it looked like she was trying to get me to stop going, but then again I was probably seeing things. As I walked by her crooked tail swished side to side, her eyes followed me down the entire sidewalk. Once she was out of sight, the air seemed much lighter and there wasn't a weird chill crawling down the back of my neck.

"Too much for the morning... all I want to do was see grandma... is that so much to ask for?"

That question seemed to answer itself as I continued walking towards the cemetery, when I decided to take a short cut through the back way. The only time I took that way was with C.J, but he usually ran in the morning because of cross-country. My heart was thumping, this area was where most hollows hung around, and I could see why. There was a high level of reiryoku in the air, but no sign of a threat anywhere. It had been so long, I had trouble locating people's reiryoku, not that my friends were in the area... but you know... in general.

But to my surprise, no one was awake except for an older man who sat on the steps of his shop. He was fanning himself as his attention was in space until her heard me pass by. The fan slipped back into his sleeve as he waved to me, which of course I waved back in an awkward manner. After that I quickly went through the park and up the huge hill to my grandmother's grave... Masaki Kurosaki.

"Hey grandma... it's me again."

Truthfully, I'd never seen the woman in my entire life but had heard stories from my guardians. Ichigo said that she died a long time ago, way back when he was a child growing up. He always had this dark look in his eyes so neither Takashi nor I asked him much about her. He brought us here a few times, well me mostly since Taka-Chan had to worry about school and stuff. For a while, Karin and Yuzu would bring me every June seventeenth to see her, even if I had school. I guess it was a force of habit for them, especially for grandpa since he was the one who usually got me here.

After I started high school they stopped bringing me and going all together, around that time was when their business was booming. Grandpa reassured me that they finally got over it and that it was good for them to have their own lives again. But the few times I went on my own, I had to hide and wait because Grandpa would be there smoking. Yuzu always told me that he smoked only in June, but the times I went were not exactly in that month. Nevertheless I didn't say anything about it, if he wanted to do his thing, he was more than capable of making decisions of his own.

"Grandma, I hope you're doing well... Karin and Yuzu are so happy as usual, and well... you know grandpa. He's still kicking and loud as ever, it must be because of me. Ciel and Miyu are getting closer, so hopefully next time I see you I'll be able to bring good news. Still nothing from them, ten freaking years and nothing... I'm starting to forget them...I don't want to though..."

I know.. stupid right? Here I was, telling a woman I had never met about my life, my friends and I even gave her flowers... Pathetic huh? I could have cared less what people thought of me by doing this, she was something I had that connected me to my family. No one, and I mean no one besides me and Grandpa visited her anymore. At least I was brave enough to see the only family that had Ichigo by a leash. Perhaps I hoped that Ichigo would come and take me home, or maybe she would appear and tell me about the family.

Whatever I had hoped for... died a long time ago.

"Great, now that I've depressed myself for the week... I should head back home. See ya later grandma, I wish I could have seen you at least once."

_"Rest in peace grandma, maybe someday... I'll meet you."_

Satisfied, I brushed some dirt off my dress and slowly made my way back to the store. I took my normal route home, the way I went earlier gave me a bad vibe. As the normal people of the morning came into view, something caught my attention but as I turned to look, no one was there. When I felt it again, I realized that it was someone's reiryoku that they were trying to hide from me and everyone else. But no matter how hard they practiced in controlling it, I still managed to sense it.

_"Toshiro did say I had that annoying ability to sense someone... even when they didn't want to be found."_

I quickly brought my reiryoku close to me, a small bubble that I could keep in the palm of my hand. It jumped around in my head as I started to quicken my pace home as two more reiryokus appeared. The only problem I had at the time was that I couldn't tell who was here, and what they were thinking.

_"Dammit, I haven't practiced in a long time. Should've used my friends as practice-"_

"Karin! Yuzu! Are you guys here!?" I shouted as the door swung open to an empty kitchen since their shop wasn't open.

I nearly started to panic if Yuzu hadn't run down the stairs when she heard me. Her arms were wrapped around my neck before I could ask her what was up. Karin came from the shop with a pot in her hands, a confused look written on her face. She set it down and rolled her eyes, muttering about how it was too early for shouting.

"Oh Hikari there you are! I wondered if you went to see mom this morning." Yuzu excitedly said to me as she ushered me into the kitchen.

"Yeah... I went there."

"I meant to stop by, it was her birthday a while ago..."

"Auntie Yuzu, is there something you aren't telling me?"

"What's with the harsh questions Hikari, it's as if you're expecting something." Karin interrupted as a smile broke from both their faces.

"Okay... this is creepy."

"Hikari!"

"Both of you are smiling so weird, what's the matter?"

Neither of them could answer as he stepped down the stairs step by step. A boy, a much older boy, stopped on the last step as he fumbled with his red tie. His gray shirt was tucked in awkwardly as his black slacks brushed against the floor. I watched in silence as he came forward while giving up on the tie, a hand brushing a bit of hair from his face. Dull violet eyes glanced up from the floor at last, sparkling a little in excitement.

"Hikari," He sighed in a much deeper voice than what I remembered from last. "It's nice to see you again."

This man... had changed from the fifteen year old boy I last saw him as. Everything about him screamed different, from his type of clothes to the look in his eyes. A sheepish grin grew on his face as he slowly made his way over to me, as if I was going to run away. Turned out he knew me so well, even better than me.

"I missed you little sis-" He said as he grasped my hand in a gentle way, but the defining slap I gave him interrupted him.

"Hikari! What's the matter with you?" Yuzu scolded me as a bright red mark appeared on his cheek as I backed up against the wall.

I grabbed onto my hand, and nearly felt myself slide against the wall, but my knees couldn't move. No, it was more like they were frozen stiff and there was no way for me to move away. I was happy-no. More like ecstatic to see my older brother in the flesh again. But the past just washed over me like a waterfall, and it hurt too much to enjoy the moment.

"Takashi.. I'm sorry but I..."

There was nothing more to say about it, so I scooted against the wall until I nearly fell back into the open. From there, I twirled on my heel and bolted back towards the park, somewhere I could relax and be comfortable. My eyes glanced behind to see if someone was following me, but they could only make out Takashi gripping the doorway in a painful way.

"Hikari!" He shouted, but the anguish in his voice made it hard for me to look anymore.

_"Shit... Shit!"_

* * *

><p>A good seven minutes later (which turned to be my record) my knees gave out and I crumbled to the ground. People stared at me but I could have cared less, all I focused on was keeping my heartbeat normal. I felt the oncoming sting of tears, but as usual, they would not fall while people were around. C.J ran through the park around ten-thirty, and as I looked up I nearly screamed into the sky.<p>

_"Eleven-freaking-oh-one... fuck he's probably long gone by-"_

But out of the blue, his reiatsu appeared near to me and it sent my heart in a frenzy. I got up from the ground and booked it down the pathway until he was so close it hurt my head. Maybe he realized that there were people here, and that it involved me. He knew more about me than my other friends, and that was how I liked it. He was my rock, a huge rock that kept me down even when I felt like flying into the wrong moment. And vice-versus, we were always there for each other, no matter how big the thing was.

Later on I realized that it was okay to have more than one rock, but being such a young person, that was the way I thought.

"Oh thank God you're here Ciel, you won't believe the-OH HOLY MOTHER OF SIN!"

I immediately crouched to the floor and put my hands against my mouth, my reiatsu forming into the tiniest bubble ever. There was a bit of rustling above me, but no one checked fully for me. I quickly crawled away until I was back on the main pathway but that didn't stop me from running to only-god-knew-where. To recap; I was about to walk into a messy situation. One that would probably be too disturbing for young people, but what should I care about that... I almost walked into Ciel and Miyu getting fresh behind the bushes, snogging and all.

"I feel sick... and a bit sad... why?"

I did feel sick, the whole idea was new to me and I didn't expect them to move so quickly. But the sadness just hit me in an unexpected way, why would I be sad? To this day, I still can't understand why I felt sad at that moment. It went away though almost instantaneously as I started to cough uncontrollably into my hand, a chill traveling down the back of my neck.

"Water... all I need is water."

I trudged awkwardly to the nearest water fountain, my head nearly bashed against the spout for some reason. It felt cool and inviting as I drank greedily for a minute or two, my hair soaking a bit as well. As I pulled away and tried to wipe the excess water from my hair, a feeling of reiatsu appeared out of nowhere next to me. My body cringed as it got closer and closer until the person was standing near me.

"Hi...kari?"

Her voice was soft and heartwarming, kind of like wedding bells for a happy couple. Her reiatsu was warm and kind, wrapping around me like a loose garment as I turned around to face her. The first thing I saw were her eyes, her kind blue eyes that sparkled with the smile she wore. Next was her outfit, it should have came first since it was so revealing, but that failed. Her hair was longer than what I remembered, falling past her shoulders but framed her face in the best way.

"Ran...giku."

"It is you...look how much you've grown."

"It's been a while... your hair is longer."

"So is yours, I miss your baby hair." She laughed quietly as her arms found themselves around me neck, my head resting against her chest.

We kind of hugged for a minute or two before this panicked feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. The only reason she had to be there was because of Takashi, why else would she be there? Certainly not for me, or at least that's what I told myself. I harshly pushed away from her, the look of hurt coming on her face almost in an instant. But I couldn't say anything, instead I ran away like the child I was before her very eyes again.

_"Dammit, I don't want to run but then again I do..." _

Finally all the tears I held back came with a vengeance, Rangiku's expression played in the back of my head in repeat. Her warmth, her voice, everything that was in my grasp hit my harder than the last until I crumbled back onto my knees. As my hands brushed my face, I turned around only for a second before I started to sprint down the path. Rangiku didn't like to run, but when it came to our short moment, it made her like a speeding bullet.

We held a good distance between us, neither of us got closer or farther from one another until I jumped over a bush and continued to run. I slowly started a trot, looking over my shoulder to make sure she wasn't following me. It would have seemed like I was out of the clear, but the sudden wave of pain sent a different guy I collided with screamed as we landed into the ground, and not too nicely either. When I lifted my head, I saw I was on his chest while he got the worse end.

"Oh my gosh!" I shouted as I jumped backwards onto the ground, my hands pulling the dress over my knees. "I am so sorry!"

He threw himself forward and had all the motions to yell at me, but he stopped midway. Big teal eyes looked up from my face to my eyes as his arm came down slowly. I watched him relax in his spot, his body shifting from a defending position to a normal one.

"To...shiro. Not you too..."

"Hikari... you-you still wear that old thing?" He cut himself off as the pendant glowed in the early afternoon light.

"Huh? Oh yeah, well I just found it this morning... but I did."

"Well... you look well."

"So do you, I like what you did to your hair."

"Really? I was kind of thinking it looked funny."

"No, no it looks good. I like the little bangs, they suit you Toshiro-San."

"Hikari... thanks." He sighed bitter-sweetly as his hand brushed against my face in a comfortable way.

"For what?"

"For... not forgetting. Like they wanted you to."

"How could I forget? Really, how could I forget... I'm covered in scars for goodness sake Captain."

His eyes glanced up to my from the ground, his hand holding onto me as if he knew I wanted to run again. I tried to scoot away, but he held firmly and scooted closer to me. The tears started to sting again when Rangiku appeared out of the blue again. Her presence gave me the opportunity to jump up away from them both, my hand he held against my chest. Toshiro got up as Rangiku came to his side, their eyes straight at me.

"Guys... I've missed you guys for so long."

"We know Hikari."

"Please, wait one second."

"Why should... why?"

"Hikari, can't we just enjoy this moment together?"

"But... it hurts Rani... it hurts a lot."

"Hika, don't do this..."

"...Sorry."

Toshiro stepped forward, but I easily slipped out of sight and made my way down a different path. It was all fine and dandy until they jumped from the side and tried to grab onto me. That made me scream unexpectedly and hop over them just like with C.J. They were stunned so it let me get a bit farther ahead before they tried one more time. However by the time they reached me, something grabbed onto my arm and pulled me through a bush to the side. Long arms wrapped around my waist and held onto an arm I wanted to use to attack in defense. I would have screamed but his hand covered my mouth and his strength pulled me to the ground.

"Don't move; and no screaming alright?"

_"Screaming was the last thing on my mind."_

"Did you see where she went?"

"No, I can't even pinpoint where either. She's good."

"Too good for her own well-being."

"Captain!" Rangiku shouted in a disapproving tone, one that made me giggle into the person's hand by accident.

"Masumoto relax, you're a little upset." I could picture Toshiro smiling a gentle smile up to her, her shoulders dropping in defeat.

"I know Captain, but I'm just a little... you were able to talk to her. But she freaked out at me, after all these years..."

_"Oh Rangiku! I feel so bad now, I'm sorry but I got scared."_

"Masumoto, wouldn't you be a little freaked out if the ones you loved suddenly came back after... ten years now? Give her a break, it's been hard on her."

_"Whoo! That's why I love you Toshiro! You know me so well!"_

"You're right, shall we try and find Takashi again?"

"I think I know where he might be, let's get going."

"Right!"

_"No! No! Don't leave guys, here I am! Please wait, Rangiku! Toshiro! Save me first god dammit!"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ugh, I know I'm taking forever with this story, and you guys have seen this part. Sorry, but bear with me for awhile.<br>It's summer, so I figured I could change things to make it make more sense.  
>I'm really happy for those who actually read this, thanks.<em>**


	3. Talking Makes Everything Better

It was a little while after they left when both the stranger and I relaxed on the floor. My knees tingled from numbness and my arm he was holding started to bruise. Even he seemed to be a bit tired, but by how he struggled, he seemed afraid they would come back. I debated whether to hit my head against his lip, but when I was about to do it he released me without warning.

"Oh holy crap." I gasped in the fresh air as my legs wobbled forward into the ground, a small yelp escaping my lips.

"Hikari!" His voice tingled inside my head as his hand reached under my to help me up, but I quickly pushed it away out of fright.

"S-Senpai?"

"Who'd you think it was?" He asked while rolling his eyes at me, like the smug boy he was.

"I don't know, certainly not you. How did you hide your reiatsu? I can barely feel it now."

"An old trick my dad taught me, you okay?"

"My legs are asleep from standing too long, give me a second they'll come around."

I twisted my body so I could sit on my butt, which allowed most of the blood to go straight into my legs. Senpai sat beside me and relaxed a little more comfortably, his head between his knees. His hazel eyes sparkled in the late afternoon light when he came up and stared at me. I would have asked him what was wrong, but his finger covered my lips. The look in his eyes told me he was genuinely worried, but seemed unsure on how to talk to me. I tried to move away, but he just got closer and pressed his finger against my lips harder.

"Who were those guys?"

"Wow, nothing gets past you huh?"

"I'm being serious here, Kurosaki."

"So am I, don't get invovled with my life Ishida. They have nothing to do with you-"

"Everything that involves you involves me." He said in a harsh voice, his hand suddenly grabbed onto my wrist.

"Ouch, that kind of hurts Ishida."

"Those were soul reapers, weren't they?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Kurosaki."

"Alright, alright! Geez, you're hurting me Ishida... I'm not as tough-skinned anymore." I nearly whimpered as he released me at last, rolling his eyes towards me again.

"Sorry," He said in a soft voice as his eyes glanced down at the bruise from earlier. "But you were being stubborn."

"And you weren't? Never mind that, yes those two were soul reapers. If your dad told you anything about the Soul Society, the shorter on was Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya and the lady was Rangiku Masumoto."

"His lieutenant?"

"Correct."

"Why were they here? Did you do something?"

"A long time ago Senpai, but they weren't here for me. They're here for my brother, Takashi-"

"You have a brother?!" He suddenly snapped as his eyes got wide with confusion and amazement.

"Y-Yeah, an older brother... he's around... twenty-five now?" I started to laugh while I counted on my fingers the years gone by, but failed miserably.

"Do you not know?" His voice sounded incredulous, which started to get on my nerves a bit.

"No, honestly I don't. It's been about ten years since I-"

"Ten years?"

"Would you stop interrupting me?!" I shouted angrily towards him, my hands came up reflexively to hit his head.

"Sorry, but it... why haven't you been home?"

"Well in case you or Miyu haven't noticed, I don't have a _zanbaktou..._I can barely keep my reiatsu up to your level." My voice came out shaky as he finally heard the truth about me.

"Why do you think I don't fight hollows or send pluses away?"

"Well, don't you have to go to a special academy?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow towards me in a confused way which made me smile a little.

"Sure, I could have. But not anymore, since I'm..."

"You're...?"

"I'm... nothing."

The atmosphere went from threatening to dark almost instantly as those words sunk into him. I found myself curling up into a little ball if his reiatsu hadn't sparked up a little. He seemed angry at my words, but of course he wasn't going to badger me at the time. He relaxed a little, which fluctuated his reiatsu to a more comfortable level.

"Nothing? Hikari, you're not nothing." He said in a soft voice, his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

"But I am Ishida! Ten years ago, I was a normal child living in the Soul Society with everyone I knew and loved. Mom and Ichigo sent me to normal school so I could have a choice later in life, but when I was six something bad happened to me. All I can remember was that my chest was bleeding and ... it hurt. That's it... Not even a week later, Ichigo brought me back here to live with my aunts and to this day... nothing."

By the beginning of my rant, I had gotten up and started pacing back and forth in front of him. But soon I found myself crumbled to the floor with tears streaming down my face. My head started to ache and my insides were fumbling around like I wanted to throw up. Things were shaking all above me as bad memories came from the back of my head. Kouhei was frozen stiff at the sight of me, but it wasn't like he was able to do anything.

"They... wanted me to forget... forget about everything... but how could I when I'm his kid?!"

"Hikari..."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... but it hurts. My head is killing me right now, even worse than the last time I tried. I-I can't stop crying." I mumbled into my hands, my head bounced up and down to keep me calm.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because..."

"Because? Answer me Hikari, let it out."

"Because I'm scared alright?"

"Scared of what?"

"Scared of being forgotten... I don't want them to forget me Kouhei... I don't want them too..." I sobbed into my knees, my hands holding my head to numb the pain.

"Don't forget me... I just want them to like me again..."

The wind finally picked up and cooled off the two of us, taking along with it the sounds of my sobbing. Even I could feel my reiatsu in the air, making the weather change as I cried and cried. But it calmed down a little as I tried to force myself to stop, but it was still a little sketchy. Maybe a minute or two later, Kouhei got closer to me and lifted my torso from my knees. I was about to yell at him, but he quickly held me in his arms without a word of warning. The sudden warmth that enveloped me was so strange yet comforting that it shook my insides.

"It's okay..." He said softly into my hair as he brushed a bit out from my face.

"No one is going to forget you, how could they? Don't cry. I'm sorry I made you upset, you don't have to say anymore."

I grabbed onto the back of his shirt and cried a little more, much softer now that he said those things to me. Despite how awkward it was, he held onto me a little tighter and hummed quietly for me. His voice couldn't hit the high notes well, so it made me smile and laugh into his shirt. He heard me and chuckled from the back of his throat as I pulled away. We stared at each other for a second before he brushed a few tears from my eye.

"God, you're like a brother."

"I am one though, feeling a bit better?"

"Yeah a little, C.J's the only one I've ever told about this stuff... so it's nice to get it off my chest again."

"Don't be afraid to say something Hikari, Miyu's also there for you. And on occasion so am I."

"I'll take note of that..."

"Are you ready to see your brother again?"

"...Not really."

It started to hurt again, the whole idea of seeing my brother after so long made my head ache even more. Kouhei saw the look in my eyes change, so he held onto my hand to keep my steady. I thought he would pull away as my grip got tighter and tighter, but he was a fighter that day. When he started to cringe in an obvious way I pulled back a little, giggling as he massaged and flexed his fingers.

"Geez your grip is tight."

"Sorry."

"It's fine, Miyu's is worse. Why are you so afraid of your brother?"

"It's just that, I'm not so much as afraid but more like freaked out."

"Freaked... out?"

"It's been ten years, ten long years with no other form of communication in between that time. I'd almost forgotten what he looked like... what they all looked like. Him showing up today, out of all the days, kinda freaked me out a little."

"Why today?"

"Just 'cause I went to see my grandmother today, and I told her I started to forget them."

"Well, that's kind of freaky."

"Thanks..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know... I know. I'm being a huge baby, and this isn't what you expected from a Kurosaki was it?"

"Honestly... no it's not. But you're not just a Kurosaki, you're you too. And despite your family, you are unique in your own way."

"Wow, that was surprisingly nice even for you."

"Not all Quincies are assholes." He winked at me, brushing a bit of blood from where I bit against my lip.

"I guess I've been a little prejudiced these few years..."

"And I as well, can we start over?"

"Sure, why not?" I said as my hand rose to shake his hand, which of course made him laugh a little.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that you're a lot cuter than I've realized."

"Wait... what?" I stuttered a little as he shook my hand without answering me, a small twinkle in his eye.

"The name's Kouhei. Kouhei Ishida."

"...Hikari Kurosaki."

He smiled a crooked smile that sent butterflies flying deep in the pit of my stomach, and not subtly either. I heard him laugh as he brushed a bit of my hair from my face again, drawing my attention to his eyes. The moment is not something I could forget easily, after all, I just made peace with the boy I told myself to hate since the fourth grade. And vice versus, I kind of wondered if Miyu teased him about this when she found out.

"You have such lovely hair, it suits you."

"You have such... sparkly eyes."

"That was lame."

"You're lame Senpai."

We laughed a little at our conversation, our hands accidentally brushing against each other. I wanted to pull away, but he held onto mine and pulled me into his arms. Out of reflex, my arms wrapped around his neck while his fit smoothly over my hips. Those hazel eyes took my breath away as he leaned in a little towards me. For some reason, I found myself copying his actions and ran my fingers through his hair.

_"What am I doing... does it even matter now?"_

I should have listened to my words, it did matter then and would in the years to come. But I couldn't even think of an answer as the sounds of something humming came to our ears. Both of us stopped midway, frozen as the water shot out from the ground unexpectedly. Unfortunate to us, the sprinkler system was working that afternoon, and decided to soak us along with the ground.

"Ah!"

"Crap, that was not what I wanted!"

I bit back a laugh as he grabbed onto my hand and pulled me through the bushes without a word. We tumbled to the ground and scared a couple of people as the sprinkler swished behind us. I stood up first and tried to unwrinkle my dress as Kouhei stepped beside me. He pushed up his glasses while he shook out his hair, sprinkling me a little more with water. I groaned and flipped my hair back, ignoring the fact that we looked positively wet and messy. He started to ring out his shirt when he looked down at me.

"Well... that was unexpected."

"I can't believe they work still, I thought they broke a long time ago."

"Maybe they found money?"

"Who knows, are you alright Hikari?"

"Yeah I'm alright Senpai, just a little..." I couldn't even finish my sentence as my eyes finally saw how he came out to be.

His eyebrows crinkled together as I laughed into the sleeve of my dress. I tried to motion why I was laughing, but it was too hard at the moment. As if he saw me staring, he looked down at his shirt and stifled a laugh. From the sprinklers, his shirt had become skin tight and was showing off his body in a seductive way. He too started to laugh when it became noticeable, which got me to stop at last.

"Sorry Senpai, but your shirt just got to me."

"You're one to talk."

"What'ya mean?"

"You might want to fix your dress." He said as he came over to shield me from the public eye, glancing down at the hem.

I grabbed onto my dress, and felt it tight around my body, more importantly my chest. This morning I forgot to put an undershirt on, so my bra was most likely peeking out against the fabric. What made it even worse, was that he had to be the one to tell me it was noticeable. I could feel the heat wafting off my cheeks as I tried to pull out my dress. Every now and then I glanced up at him, but he was making sure no one was coming. It felt nice being a little protected like that, despite that he saw it first.

"Thanks..."

"No problem, now go."

"Go where?"

"Home, to your brother. He must be here for a reason, so why not enjoy the moment?"

"But what if he's gone?"

"Is he? Can't you tell?"

I stopped midway, and looked up towards the sky and tried to focus on Takashi. No, he was still here, but not at home... or was that Toshiro? Why didn't I practice on my friends just for this moment?

"I need to go home too, Miyu's supposed to tell me something soon. I'm trying to break it out from her."

"Don't you mean get it out?"

"Sure, whatever you say." He teased me as his hand ruffled my already tangled hair.

"You look cute when you're hair's wet."

"Oh... thanks."

He smiled and nodded towards me, waving a little as he made his way down the pathway. I kind of stayed there for a second or two before I started on my own. Why did he do that? He was probably messing with me more now that we started over. For a new friend, he was already getting under my skin...

In a good way.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Well... here we go again. Hope the whole scenario works a little better. Now he knows more about her, and soon she'll have to tell everyone else. I'm trying to bear with me guys, thank you ever so much.<em>**


	4. The First Meeting in Years

**Hi people, just another chapter redone by me again... I'm trying to get through these so I can put up my other chapters I've worked on. If you're reading this, please be a little more patient with me.**

**Thank you :)  
>Disclaimer: I do not own this series, except for my characters.<strong>

* * *

><p>"Nice dress!"<p>

"What did you do, fall in a pool?!"

"Shut it guys, I don't wanna talk about it." I sighed apathetically at Miyu, who turned over to C.J to get me to talk.

"Come on Hika, what happened?"

"Nothing happened C.J, I just want to go home."

"What's home?"

"You really want to know?"

"Why are you attacking me like this Hika, what did I do?" He defended himself as he cut me off from walking away, anger growing in his facial expression.

"C.J..." Miyu tried to get him to stop, but the annoyed face he gave me could not be washed off that easily.

"You wanna know?"

"Hell yeah I want to know, what did I do this time?"

"Takashi's here alright? And Toshiro and Rangiku if they haven't left yet." I basically told myself as he let me slide past him once and for all, getting it off my chest once again.

He stood there with a shocked expression, frozen until Miyu came beside him. I realized that I couldn't bother him with petty things, but to me that wasn't petty. His voice came out shaky and cracked, but I barely heard it from where I was. I knew that Miyu would be freaking out at that moment, C.J frozen in his spot because he was most likely upset with himself that he didn't noticed anything.

"Tell her! She's gonna be on my nerves if you don't say anything. Just don't go in depth, I'll do that."

I couldn't wait for a reply, so I continued my way home without making sure he said yes. I knew C.J better than anyone, even his old man. He would most definitely talk to her, tell her my story because I wasn't that type of girl to have heart-to-heart talks...

Bullshit. I just had a serious heart-to-heart with a boy whom I believed to be my worse enemy-turned-friend. I basically told him my whole pitiful life, why I wasn't out there like them kicking serious hollow butt. I even cried in his arms, that was something I wished never happened. But it wasn't like the end of the world, it was more of a weak moment for my anyway... wait a second... I just called him by his first name. And he didn't yell at me...

_"Whoa, that's freaky. Wait a second! He called me by my name first."_

It was true, as I looked back at that whole conversation it turned out he used my name first. I tried hard not to say his name, but as we went along, it slipped from me. What a weird day, first seeing Miyu and Ciel snogging in the bushes got me frazzled. Then the whole Toshiro and Rangiku thing messed up my head. Now all I could think about was Senpai and the fact he tried to-

"Ah!" I screamed loudly as I slipped off the corner of the sidewalk into the street, bumping my knee against the asphalt.

"Are you alright?" An older man asked me as he hurried over to help me up, but I brushed him away with a small chuckle.

"Yeah I'm sorry about that, I lost my focus. Thank you anyway."

"It's not a problem, you be more careful now."

"Of course, thank you again."

He seemed to be happy that he tried to help, which made me feel a little happy for him too. As I got up he waved to me and continued his way to wherever he was heading. Maybe a family with kids, or a nice apartment with a pet or two. Wherever he was headed, it felt like by trying to help it made his day a little brighter.

Where were we though? Oh yeah, I was about to freak about the fact that Kouhei and I nearly kissed... intentionally too. That whole idea made me blush the rest of the way home, and struggle with how it could have gone if the sprinklers hadn't gone off. Would things have been the same after? Did he even like me? That was a huge question for me while walking home, what was the whole point of that moment?

"Kou...hei." I whispered to myself as the doorway appeared in front of me.

Just the name as it slipped off my tongue made my cheeks burn even hotter. It rolled off my tongue like a foreign word, although I used it a lot in the conversation. The whole conundrum boggled my head as the doorknob fit into my hand, making noise as I tried to open it.

_"He's not here... I can't feel him, he's not here..."_

Sadness washed over me almost instantly as the door softly opened at last. I stepped inside to Karin and Yuzu sitting quietly at the table. Neither one of them had noticed I came inside until I stood near them. Both of them jumped off the seat and hurried over to me, a look of anger in their face. I started to cringe but Yuzu passed me and took out a towel from the cupboard, Karin was off to the side laughing to herself.

"What did you do Hikari? You're soaking wet." She giggled under her breath as Yuzu started to shake my head with the towel.

"I might have been caught by some sprinklers..."

"Oh goodness look at you! You're completely soaked through your dress, thank goodness you took your shoes off outside." Yuzu murmured to herself as she handed me the semi-damp towel.

"Yeah..."

"Feel a little better now that you got some air?"

"I'm sorry guys, it was just a huge-"

"We know. We know."

"Is he still here? Or is it too late to see-" I started to say, but something interrupted me from behind.

"KARIN! YUZU! I CAN'T FIND HER ANYWHERE! OH THIS IS AWFUL, WHY ARE YOU GUYS JUST STANDING THERE-"

He couldn't finish his sentence as the wind got knocked out of him... by me of course. His body practically flew through the door, the sounds of people screaming coming to my ears. Karin and Yuzu stepped back as I started to tap my toes, my attention at the doorway. Slowly, he came back in with a disheveled look, his shirt unbuttoned and covered in dirt. His eyes were half-open until he caught sight of me, when we made contact they widen up noticeably.

"Hi...kari?"

"Can't this family freak out without screaming into the air like their attacking a village? Geez, am I the only one who thinks of the neighbors?"

"Hikari..." He repeated over and over again like a broken record to himself, which broke my heart a little each time.

"Hey brosef... been a while huh?"

"Hikari..."

"Is that all you can say... my name?"

"You've changed..."

"So have you, I've missed a lot of birthdays. Need to hit you like what, a million times?" I nearly cried out, but I forced it into a harsh chuckle.

He slowly got up from the door and came over my way, his fists clenched at his side. I cringed a little as I felt his reiatsu at last, so much stronger than what I remembered. As if he knew what made me cringe, he pushed it all down and just fell to the ground. Yuzu looked like she wanted to step forward, but Karin held her back. I crouched down to his side and lightly touched against his shoulder, which brought his head back up to me.

"Hikari..."

"Shut up." I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck without warning, burying my face into his neck.

"Just... shut up...tell me you missed me."

"That's what I've been wanting to tell you since forever." He said back to me as he cuddled closer to me, his arms around my waist.

Without warning he picked me up from the floor, and started to spin me around. I screamed a little into his shirt and held onto his hair and back. He laughed at me, and continued to spin around in a little circle. Karin and Yuzu relaxed noticeably and retreated into their shop, allowing me and Takashi to be alone. He stopped finally and just hugged me so tightly it felt like he was never letting me go.

"Takashi...I missed you."

"I missed you too little Light-bulb."

"Geez, you're starting that again?"

That made him laugh into my shoulder, a few tears soaked right through my dress. He never once said anything about the fact I was still soaked. When he pulled away at last, his whole front side was wet from my dress. But he never complained, not even later on after the years went by. I guess that he was so happy seeing me after all these years, it was something he could live with.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after we all had dinner together, Takashi followed me into my room and sat on the floor. I took a quick shower and nearly bolted back to make sure he was there. Sure enough he was still sitting in his exact spot with a small notebook in his hands. His eyes laughed at me as I shook out the water from my hair and got changed in the other room. When I came back he was still doodling in his book as I tried to work on my homework.<p>

"How have you been sister?" He tried to make small conversation with me, but my head was focused on the math in front of me.

"Bored as hell, but all in all okay. What about you brother? Been working out I see."

"You can tell? I'm not the same little scrawny boy you remember huh?"

"Not exactly, you still look like a dork though." I laughed as I unlatched the window beside my bed, just out of reflex.

"Hey, that's not nice. I've been working hard too you know, being a lieutenant is hard wor-"

"Wait, you're a lieutenant now? That's incredible!" I squealed unexpectedly to him, smiling as bright as I could bring myself to do.

He stopped all together and stared at me, as if I did something out of line. At first I thought he was laughing, so I tried to give him a second so he could stop. I focused on my work until my pencil slipped out and fell towards him. When I looked up to ask him for help, he seemed frozen in his spot, staring right at me. His eyebrows were pushed together like he was confused and surprised about my smile. Was it wrong for me to be happy?

"So.. what else is new brother? Drawn any good pictures late-" I said as I reached over to grab his notebook playfully, but he moved away as my whole body weight took me over the edge.

"Hikari!" He nearly screamed as my face landed loudly against the floor, the sound of my nose cracking echoing throughout the room.

"Geezus Hika, hold still a second."

"Ow... why couldn't you have just said no?" I mumbled while fighting back the urge to cry, but he ignored me and held his hand against my nose.

He relaxed all the muscles in his body, and focused his energy towards my face. Almost instantly I felt my reiatsu be restored to an unimaginable power again, then my nose slowly felt warm and tingling. Green light shone in my eye, forcing me to look up towards him again in shock. There was a small pop and then my nose felt normal and much better than before.

"There we go, good as new. Oh, there's blood now." He mumbled to himself as some blood dribbled down against my lip.

"Don't move, and whatever you do don't look in my journal."

"Aye aye captain."

He chuckled a little as he turned and left the room, most likely going to ask Yuzu where there were towels. Because I knew she would direct him downstairs, it gave me the perfect opportunity to look in his journal. I knew it was wrong, but the idea of seeing his work after all these years made me curious.

_"Let's see what he's been up to these past ten years..."_

The book felt foreign in my hands, all battered like he's used it quite often. It opened to the first page, a rough sketching of my mother sleeping with my dad. I could see the small details of it, and how much he changed it since the last time I saw it. I flipped through each page quickly, just a small glance of his work would suffice at the time. There were a lot of people I recognized, and some I didn't have a single clue who they were. Towards the end I saw a whole bunch of what I believed to be ideas of what people's zanbaktou spirits would look like, especially his. The last page was stuck, so it took me a minute to get it unstuck.

_"Come on page, work with me. If Takashi finds me, he'll-"_

At last it came undone, and just by glancing at it it made my heart shatter a little. He used charcoal, something that I'd never expect him to use. But it was obvious what this was; it was me. I was supposed to be smiling, not just a little smile, but a huge one that looked foreign and off center.

There was an old photo of me when I was younger tucked to the side, smiling almost like a fool with my mom, dad, and brother all around me. You could barely see Byakuya in the background with Renji beside him, but there were smiles on their faces as well. The sketching was fairly new, he was trying to redo this in his notebook. But what stopped him was my smile, it was as if he couldn't get it right the first time. Why was the smile stopping him? Was it that hard to copy that smile-

"Hikari! What did I tell you?!" Takashi's voice erupted behind me as he snatched the book from my hand, hitting the spine against my head.

He looked like he wanted to smack me, but stopped as the tears fell from my eyes. I quickly hid from him and quietly sobbed to myself, but he would not leave me alone. His hands pulled mine away from me, so I was somewhat forced to look at him. His dull violet eyes were kind of angry but more along the lines of sad as well. I reached around him and hugged him as tightly as I could, which he seemed okay with.

"Hika, don't cry. It's okay."

"Why can't I smile like that anymore?" I softly mumbled to myself, but he must have not heard it because he lightly pushed me away and brushed the towel against my nose.

"You're sniffling."

"Sorry..."

"It's alright, do you like it?"

"It's really cool, all your pictures are amazing. Mom's probably jealous with you."

"Not really, she's more happy than jealous. I'm a little jealous of you though."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you fight more naturally, even though you haven't in a while. When you were younger, you were so light on your feet and almost kicked everyone's butt. You were awesome in your own way."

"Oh... thanks Taka-Chan."

"Anytime." He said happily to himself as he put away his notebook on the dresser.

"So, anything else you wanna know?"

"Sure, how are mom and Uncle doing? What about Byakuya-Oji?"

"Renji's doing well, and Byakuya is normal. Mom is mom, she works hard all the time."

"What about Ichigo?"

"...Did you just call dad by his first name?"

"Whoops, force of habit." I laughed awkwardly as he rolled his eyes up towards me, thumping my foot with his fist.

"Dad is fine too, he finally caved in and took that captain position for the eighth squad."

"That's great, so Kyoraku doesn't have to worry about it anymore?"

"Nope, he's busy with his squad now."

"Wonderful, which squad do you belong with now?"

"Squad three, you didn't really see him a lot. But he's a great captain, remember Kira?"

"Izuru-San?"

"Yeah, he didn't want to be his lieutenant any longer, so we bargained and he became his third seat."

"Cool, that's good for Izuru, at least he didn't go too far down."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

The conversation continued like that, small and simple like how I wanted it to go. I tried to finish my work but as he became more in-depth with his answers, it was hard to pay attention. Finally I caved in and just listened to him talk about home and what changed when I was gone. When I felt a chill down my spine, I looked up and realized the window was still open from earlier. Brother looked like he was dozing off, and no wonder, it was almost midnight when I packed up for school later that morning.

"Brother, time for bed."

"For you."

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, it's just that I had to sneak out. I had to see you again...who knew that they would send Hitsugaya and Rangiku to come and get me... I just... I prayed that you didn't forget about us."

"How could I forget you guys? You're.. I mean you were my life."

He smiled sheepishly to himself as I set my things to the side for later on. I propped up my pillows so there was more space for the two of us. He almost made it to the window but I grabbed onto his gigai and held tight. I watched his eyes grow big and then relax back to their normal size as I laughed.

"Will you at least wait till I fall asleep? Like the old times?"

"...As you wish."

I motioned him to sit on the bed, but he seemed a bit flustered and awkward about the idea. Obviously, he was an older boy and I was an older girl... both of us changed quite noticeably in the years passed, but all I wanted to do was share my bed with him for a second. After silently pleading with him, he sighed dramatically and sat down first.

"Ow, that was my hand."

"This bed is too tiny, I'm telling Karin and Yuzu to get you a king or something."

"Ow! My hair!"

"Quit complaining Hika, it's gonna suck."

"Ow!"

"What did I do this time?!"

"That was my chest, it's not a pillow Takashi!"

"Don't yell at me about that! I don't wanna hear it!"

"Oh, the big boy is afraid to say his little sister's all grown-"

"Rangiku messed with your mind too soon!"

I couldn't help but laugh the entire time until we found the right spots for each other. Almost instantly, everything started to get heavy and dark. Even he noticed how I stopped complaining, so he started to brush my hair with his hand.

"I miss you Taka... I miss mom... and dad..."

"I know you do, we all know."

"I wanna go home..."

"I know... I know."

"I miss you guys..."

"I miss you too. We all miss you, Hikari."

* * *

><p><em>"Wow, it's really cold in here."<em>

_Close the window._

_"What?"_

_Close the window, how hard can that be?_

_"Am I dreaming?"_

_Sure, you tell yourself that._

_"Okay sarcastic voice, just go away now."_

_Can't do that Hikari, not anymore._

_"How do you know my name? Takashi I'm freaking out now! Takashi? Takashi. Taka-"_

"-shi?" My voice continued from the dream I was having, my hands stretching around for my brother.

But no matter how far I went, he wasn't there anymore. And judging by how cool my bed was, he hadn't been there for a long time. However, the window that I opened was now closed, which didn't make much sense since it was freezing in my room. But this sudden wave of sadness washed over me and sent me curling into a ball on my bed.

"That was...short lived. He's gone now... they're all gone."

_"Why does it hurt this much again?"_


	5. No Words Needed

School seemed like such a waste of time to me since Takashi left that night. What made it even worse was that Ciel and Miyu practically ignored me both Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday however, C.J was alone and asked me to have lunch with him. I was kind of bothered and furious at him, but his cheesy smile brushed it all away so I had to agree with him. He took me by the hand to our normal lunch spot, away from everyone else. I didn't even take two whole bites of my rice ball when he unexpectedly said:

"I'm dating Miyuki Ishida, and I would like your blessing Hikari."

The formality in his voice got me to stop eating and brought my attention to him. My best friend, the one whom I've been through everything with, just finally told me he was dating my best girl friend. I couldn't tell if I was insulted or happy for him. Or maybe it was both.

"Hika? Hika..." He waved his hand in front of my face, plucking a bit of rice from my ball to eat.

"You're such a moron, Ciel."

"What'ya mean by that?" He pouted to me, tilting his head to the side like a lost puppy.

"I mean, why ask me? I'm not that special-"

"But you are very special to me Hikari, plus you're the only one I can ask. Miyu's needs her brother to say it's okay, and I need yours. And I can't talk to my sister or my brother, but it's not like they know Miyu. You know her the best, so I can trust you."

"Again, you're a moron Ciel. I don't think my blessing is the best for this kind of-"

"Hikari, would you stop acting like that. I'm trying to be serious-" Ciel angrily said to me as he took my food from my hand, and rose it into the air.

Instinctively, I kicked him in his stomach, catching my food perfectly in my hands. He fell off the bench and groaned out loud as I stood by him. He looked up at me with his big smoky eyes, and gave me a puppy-dog look again. I couldn't help but sigh and clean his face, it made sense since I knocked him over. There was a look of triumph the entire time until I pinched his cheeks to make him stop. But even that didn't stop him as I continued to clean for another second or two.

"You know better than to take my food."

"Yeah, sorry about that. But I'm trying to be serious here Hikari, you're the only one I trust." He said in such a heartbreaking way, with tears threatening to come out any second.

"Okay okay, please don't cry at school like this..."

"Go on..."

"Fine... Um... how should I even start this?"

"Just say whatever is more comfortable for you."

"Shouldn't Miyu be the one to ask for my blessing?"

"Oh shit you're right, I hope she hasn't tried to ask Senpai ye-"

"Run C.J run!" We both heard Miyu screaming from down the walkway as Kouhei's reiatsu pounded down on us like concrete blocks.

"Gotta go, see ya!" He said while kissing my cheek, and within that moment sped down the pathway as Kouhei emerged from the bushes.

"Hikari!"

"Hi Kouhei." I said while eating my food, turning my attention away for a split second as he glared all around him for a sign.

"Where did he go?"

"Who Kouhei? I'm just eating lunch like a loner."

"Don't lie to me Hikari, where did C.J run off to? I hear that he has to ask me something."

"So they did mix it up, huh?"

"Yes, they did. Those morons... don't talk to Miyu."

"Why not Senpai?"

"You know very well why, just don't."

"Are you gonna arrest me if I do?"

He stopped pacing around me and stared right at me, a confused look in his eyes. I kept on eating for another second until he started to get antsy with me. Miyu finally showed up just as he was about to interrogate me again, her face showed that she was worried. Kouhei turned between me and her, stopping at me again. I tried to take another bite of food, but the look in his eyes told me to wait it out, he would crack anyway. I set my food beside me as he leaned in a little to read me better.

"Why would-"

"Why wouldn't you let them be together anyway? They're perfect in their own way, plus she's not going to be your little sister forever. They have to grow up one way or another."

"Those are strong words for such a-" He cut himself off by putting his hand over his mouth, and averted his eyes from me.

"Kouhei?"

"Never mind, forget it." He said softly as he leaned down to take some of my food from me, without asking of course.

"See you later Hikari."

"You...too?"

He winked at me as Miyu stepped closer to me, and hurried off in the direction where C.J was. Miyu sat beside me while I tried to eat most of my food before anyone else could take it away. During that time, she quietly asked for my blessing, which I did, because how could I tell her no? She squealed in delight and started to jump around me while I continued to eat. At some point she took my hand and made me jump with her. Not wanting to get her upset, I laughed along and jumped just as brightly as her.

"Thank you ever so much! C.J was worried you wouldn't give it to us."

"Why wouldn't I? Even though it's not my place to make that kind of decision anyway."

"I know, but to C.J, you're the closest thing he has to a family what with his dad gone all the time."

"True, I suppose."

"Hey, since when did you and my brother start using first-"

"Oh would you look at that! The bell! Let's go Miyu!" I laughed nonchalantly as the bell did ring around us, drawing a bit of her attention away from me.

She stood beside me as we walked to class, but never tried to make another attempt. Although she was silent, there was a smug face on her, so I figured she already made her deduction. On our way to class, we say the last of Ciel and Kouhei's fighting happening as the teachers arrived at last. The burliest one was holding onto Ciel while at least three were barely holding onto Senpai. By the end of the day, we learned that they both were suspended: Ciel for two and Kouhei for four since he fought the most.

By Friday, C.J returned with a huge black eye and a still busted lip, but he was just happy to see me and Miyu again. After school, we three were walking out of school when Kouhei appeared with a cross look in his eyes. I wanted to intervene, but earlier C.J told me not to, so I stepped aside so he could be the big man. C.J was ready to fight again, but Kouhei stopped and pulled him away from us girls. By the excited look in Ciel's face when he returned, I guessed Kouhei gave him his blessing.

"Couldn't help it, they're such a lovey-dovey couple." Kouhei sighed to me as Miyu and C.J walked happily away from us.

"That was very nice of you, Senpai."

"I guess, on your way home now Hikari?"

"Yeah, C.J was supposed to help me carry all these books back for English. But that moron got away..." I grumbled mostly to myself as I shifted two textbooks under my arm.

"Why don't I help, give me those." He slightly commanded me as he grabbed onto them and walked ahead at full speed.

"...Thanks."

He smiled a little at me as we walked towards my house, a somewhat tense air between us. I told myself it was because we were still getting used to the whole "friend" thing, and that it wasn't just me. To make it lighter, I decided to tell him about Takashi and our conversation (omitting the crying part and the sleeping) which made him happy. He reached over and ruffled my hair like I was a little kid, and smiled to himself.

"See? I told you to enjoy the moment, didn't I?"

"Yeah, thanks for listening to me Senpai."

"Anytime Hikari, now that my sister has taken your friend away." He rolled his eyes at this statement, which made me laugh a little.

"Here, at least let me carry one of those..." I laughed at him as he silently struggled with the two books he took from me.

He sighed bitterly as I easily took one of the books from him, blushing a little around his cheeks. I almost walked ahead of him if he hadn't grabbed onto my hand and interlocked them together. My eyes glanced from the side up to him, but he seemed to be trying to be nonchalant about it. Because it felt nice and somewhat rude to pull away, I just grasped a little tighter and walked hand-and-hand with him the rest of the way home. He stepped inside the house with me, to my surprise since Karin and Yuzu hadn't met or seen him yet. They squealed over him as Grandpa emerged from the shop, and a little sparkle glistened in his eye. Him and Kouhei talked a bit as I took my book and made my way upstairs. By the middle step, he was already behind me and followed me into my room.

"Nice room, I like the window." He said as I closed the door behind me, moving towards the open window.

"Yeah, it's pretty big. Great for quick escapes if needed." I joked as I set my book on my dresser before sitting on my bed.

"True, that's a nice thing to have." He said out loud as he sat beside me, shifting a little uncomfortably to the side.

The air between us was not tense, but a little shy and awkward. Neither of us expected it to be nice at first, but again, this was strange. He interlocked his hands together as I laid against the bed for a second. He stared at me before doing the exact same thing, a flash of shock crossing his face.

"Wow, your bed is really comfortable."

"Really? Thanks." I laughed a little to him, turning to my side so I could stare at him in a more comfortable position.

"Would you like me to leave?"

"Where did that come from?" I asked suddenly as we both sat up at the exact same time, staring at one another.

"So... you don't want me to go?"

"Well.. I never said you had to go or thought it."

"Do you mind if I'm up here?"

"Well, I just never expected you to come up here... alone and stuff..."

"You afraid I'll do something?"

"Well, you can never trust a spiritual being... can you Senpai?"

"I guess not." He said as his eyes dropped down a little at me, and allowed his hand to brush my hair from my face again.

"Guess your parents never taught you to let strangers in you room... did they?"

"Well... I...um-"

"KOUHEI ISHIDA, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN FROM HIKARI'S ROOM THIS INSTANT! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, DON'T DO ANYTHING TO MY INNOCENT BEST FRIEND!" Miyu's voice rang through the window and into my room from below.

We stopped moving closer, even though at the time I hadn't even noticed we were moving at all. He groaned a little to himself as we looked down the window, to see Miyu crossing her arms across her chest. I laughed awkwardly to myself as he stood up and started to get his things from the floor. He turned to me and stared for a second before he leaned down and kissed my nose without warning. As I blushed, he chuckled loudly and easliy jumped from my room through the window. I kind of freaked out and raced to the edge, but by the time I got there he was already walking home with Miyu. I couldn't help but watch them go, and when he turned around I threw myself against my bed to hide myself.

I groaned out loud into my shirt and rolled around my bed for a good five minutes out of embarrassment. It was not like me to fall easily for such a guy like Kouhei, it was starting to get on my nerves. Why on earth would I let him get over my barriers so easily? There was no explanation for me, and it was annoying.

_"Ugh, someone just take me away for a little while... please."_

* * *

><p>"Damn you guys and your freedom..." I cursed out loud to my friends who walked away before I could say something to them.<p>

Sunday afternoon was the worst afternoon in existence to me, but only because I had to do chores. Miyu and Ciel were happily having their date right in front of me. He teased me about being Cinderella and tried to take my groceries away. I kicked him away and started to curse a little but they brushed it away like nothing. Not even ten minutes later Kouhei walked by on his way to train with his dad. He offered to help me, but I was still embarrassed about yesterday, so I declined his offer. He smiled at me, ruffled my hair and without warning kissed my nose again as he left.

"Good luck Hikari, I know you'll find something exciting to do."

"Sure, thanks Senpai."

He smiled his crooked smile and continued on his way to where ever they trained at, leaving me a little bewildered again. I started on my way home again, angrily mumbling to myself about Senpai and C.J. Mostly about C.J since I was a little mad at him for not talking to me like he normally did.

_"Man, Ciel's been such a flake to me. I kinda wish Miyu didn't have him on such a short leash."_

I finally made my way down the usual sidewalk when I heard something growling up ahead of me. It was the black cat from the other day, I could tell because of it's crooked tail and golden eyes. She was growling deeply towards something in the trash again, and swipped her paws against it when I got closer. Her head snapped up to me, and before I could do anything she ran up the trash cans and away from me.

"Wonder what that was about..." I mumbled to myself as whatever she growled at rolled down at my feet.

"A plushie? It's really gross looking..."

Taking a chance, I slipped the bag into my left hand while I reached under and grabbed onto the plushie with my other. It looked like any normal doll to me, except it was dirty and looked like a stupid lion with a flower. Somehow, it felt familiar in my hands, but I didn't get to think because Karin called from the doorway.

"There you are! Come inside Hikari, we have some deliveries for you."

"Okay, mind if I put something away first?"

"Sure, don't take forever alright?" She said softly as I put the things down in the kitchen and raced up the stairs.

The door slammed behind me as I threw the doll against my bed and took out the towel from the other night. I went back out and dampened it in the bathroom just to check something out that was bugging me in the back of my head. When I returned however, the doll was walking around like a human being, even mumbling out loud to himself.

"Ow, what's the big idea throwing me like that? When that girl comes back I'm going to-"

"Going to what?"

He stopped walking and turned towards me with huge marble eyes, his mouth open like in the cartoons. I dropped the towel and tried to get closer, but he freaked out and ran towards the window. He jumped out without warning, and screamed the entire way down. I suddenly remembered who it was, and I had to see if he was alone.

"Karin I'll be right back, I promise!" I shouted as I ran down the stairs and outside again, trying my best to ignore her yelling.

The plushie got a head start, but after all those practices with Ciel, I was right behind him. He screamed all the way until I tumbled forward and grabbed onto his leg out of sheer luck. When I sat upright he was hitting against my hand the entire time until we made eye contact.

"It is you!"

"What's me?! I have no idea what you're-"

"Kon! It had to be you! Only Kon would be this stupid!"

"Hey! I am not stupid! And you have not right to call me stupid, girl!"

"Do you even remember who I am?"

"No! Now let me go before I bite you-"

"It's Hikari, Ichigo's daughter!" I laughed the last bit as he stopped moving all togethre and stared up at me.

"H-Hikari?"

"Yeah! Hikari, I know it's been forever since I saw you. I just wanted to ask you if anyone else was here. You know, like Ichigo or some-"

"I have nothing to say! Good day!" He shouted at me, biting my thumb with all his might before I could ask him anything else.

"OW!" I said as I threw him into the air liked he wanted me to, his arms waving crazily around his head.

"See ya!" He said as he bolted down the walkway before I could grab him again, but I tripped forward.

"Kon wait! Please!" My voice carried out toward him, but that didn't stop him until he was out of sight.

"Kon..."

I got up from the ground and brushed off the dirt from my knees, with tears slowly falling down my face. Luckily, no one was around to see me cry and ask if I was okay or needed to go to a mental ward. I was bitter only for a second, because in the next minute, a huge terrifying roar came to my ears from behind. It's spiritual pressure surprised me enough to crumble to my knees, but only for a second.

"Oh shit!"

A huge hollow with tentacles on its back was behind me, it's red eyes shining in the sunlight. He seemed to smirk at me as I shivered uncontrollably for some reason, unable to stop. One of the tentacles reached out to grab me, but I managed to roll away as it struck the ground. He roared into the air again out of anger, but it faded as I ran down the street. Blood dribbled down my leg as I came to a less populated area, but I knew that wasn't going to stop him.

"Oh man! Why isn't anyone coming? How can you possible not feel this hollow around?" I asked myself out loud as I ran in the direction of home.

But as I came to a corner, something wrapped around my waist and hoisted me into the air without warning. I screamed as it whipped me around like a rag doll, and bashed me against a stone wall. White hot pain clouded my vision as my temple suddenly felt wet and sticky from my blood, which covered most of my face. The hollow jumped from above and started to come over to me with it's mouth open if someone hadn't interrupted.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" A man, the same man from the other day, asked me as he stuck his hand out towards me.

"Yeah! Just peachy, so just go okay?!" I shouted at him, but it was too late as the hollow turned it's attention to the live bait.

He loosened his grip on me and turned his mouth over to the older man. I shoved the tentacles down and ran away as fast as I could. To this day, I'm unsure whether the man was able to see spirits like me, but it didn't really matter. As I ran, I heard the blood-curdling screams of the man who tried to help me again. It brought me to my knees for a minute, the sheer torture of the fact he died because I couldn't save him. I cried out loud but only before the hollow jumped near me and tried to grab me again.

"Can't you just leave me alone!"

_**"Why should I?" **_

I stopped and stared up at the hollow, and saw that part of it's mask was partially off. You could see a human eye but not much of anything else. I felt confused, he wasn't like that earlier, all I saw were red eyes and a mask. He chuckled to himself as a tentacle tripped me from behind and pinned me to the ground. The mask was slowly degenerating as he came toward me, revealing a more human face underneath.

"Guys! Anyone! Kouhei! Miyu! Ciel! Anytime now!"

_**"There's no real reason to cry out, no one's going to save you."**_

"You shut your mouth! Guys! Hello!?"

_**"I grow weary of you." **_He sighed out loud as a tentacle wrapped itself around my mouth, which cut off most of my air.

He had me down around my waist and legs so I couldn't kick or wiggle away from him. His face hovered over me as I tried to scream out loud for my friends. I knew my reiatsu was out, the wind appeared out of nowhere and started to pick up like mad. But no matter how hard I struggled, there was no way I could slip from his grasp. My muscles were slowly starting to weaken, and everything grew dark and hazy.

_**"Time to become something else." **_He said to himself again as he leaned down with his mouth wide open.

"No!" I screamed out loud as he started to bite through my shoulder, the sticky feeling of blood dripping down what would be the last time.

_"Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have chased Kon. But did I listen to myself... no. Of course not." _

_Told you so. _

_"Again? At this time? I'm hearing things again-"_

_**"RWARGH!" **_

My last thoughts were interrupted as the hollow pulled away with my blood stained against his lips. I reached over to my shoulder as soon as he let go, and to my surprise he hadn't gone down that far. The hollow jumped and screamed as he tended to his lost three tentacles on his back, which spurted up most of his blood.

_"Whoa, didn't see that coming." _

_Me neither. _

_"Okay! Voice in my head, just go away please!"_

_I can't, and you should pay attention right now. It might benefit you... but I know it won't._

_"Wh-"_

A sudden gush of wind that wasn't caused by me blew against my face and somewhat pushed me away. I stopped and sat up, grasping against my shoulder as I looked up to whatever or whomever was in front of me. It was an older man, and judging by his backside, he had been working out a lot. Bright orange hair contrasted against his silver blade he held against his back, it's make-shift sheath wrapped around his forearm. Big brown eyes stared down at me before they glanced over to the hollow who was grumbling to himself.

"Sorry about that Hikari, didn't mean to take that long." He said out loud as the grip tightened around his hilt from anger.

"D-Dad..."

"Can you hold out for a minute or two?" His voice tickled my ear drums like a foreign song I hadn't heard in a long time.

"Y-yeah..."

_It's not going to benefit you._

_"I know it's not, just shut up okay?"_

_Touchy...touchy._

He kind of smiled back as the hollow tried to grab onto him, but missed completely. Within a minute, Ichigo sliced and diced every inch of the hollow, down to it's core. There was no holding back his anger, you could tell by the death-glare he gave the entire time. The hollow seemed to know he was at his end, so he stopped moving all together as he gave the final blow. There was an earth-shattering scream and then nothing as Ichigo landed safely back onto the ground. The hollow disintegrated it's reiatsu into the air, forever gone from the world.

As it faded away, the summer heat that for so long was hidden now came like a blast from above, normal sounds echoing through the walkway. All I could do was breath heavy as he turned around and stared down at me with worried eyes. Although he won, he seemed afraid to get any closer to me without scaring me. I wanted to say something, but I also wanted to see what changed about my old man in the years past. Everything was different, from his hair to how many bags were under his eyes. Then he finally got the nerve to come closer to me, and knelt down to my level in a calm manner.

"H-hey dad..."

"Hello Hikari, doing okay?"

"Does it look like I'm doing okay?"

"It actually looks like you're in a lot of pain."

"Thanks Captain Obvious, where's your haori?"

"It's in the wash right now, sorry I couldn't show it to you."

I giggled as he smirked a little, probably annoyed with Takashi and how he told me about his position. My hand that was holding my shirt against the wound moved away a little so I could position myself in a better way. His eyes got a little big, but his body refused to move and help me get comfortable. Once I was settled he relaxed a little and brushed a bit of blood off my chin, not like it was going to help me.

"I'm glad you're alright, I got worried that it was too late."

"I'm pretty sure my shoulder is going to be fine."

"I'm not talking about that, although I can rest easy now that it's not gone."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I mean... in general... I probably would not have forgiven myself if I had been too late."

"But you weren't! And that's all that matters!" I said with tears rushing down my face, my hands grasping onto his hakama.

"Hikari..." He laughed softly as his callused hands grasped the side of my face, his sad eyes looking down at me.

My heart started to swell as he got closer to me, his arms around my body without a lot of pressure. My hands grabbed onto his clothes and I buried my face against his chest, the tears soaked through like nothing. The warmth that I had longed for so long was now rushing through me, and took away all the pain I felt. His reiatsu calmed my nerves, the same pressure that relaxed me as a child was relaxing me now. I felt at peace, like if I were to die, then I wouldn't have minded it. But of course, I wasn't going to die, not with friends like mine.

"Hikari!" All three of them shouted my name, which echoed through the walkway as their reiatsus appeared out of thin air.

Naturally, both of us looked up to see my gang of misfit friends running towards me. Surprisingly, Kon was in front, and all of them were following him. Ciel ran faster than all of them as he spied my father, he was probably afraid he was taking me away. But that was far from the truth, there was no way he would take me while they were worried.

"You have such good friends." Ichigo laughed to himself as he stood up to leave, but I grabbed onto his sleeve again.

"Ichigo..." I mumbled out loud, but he only stopped to brush some hair out from my face.

"Soon my little light-bulb, I'll be able to take you home again."

And with those last words, he shunpoed away as C.J rushed to my side with his hand around his choker. He spun in his spot a few times until he stopped and crouched down to my level. His gray eyes were wide in fear that some how made me laugh to myself.

"Hikari!"

"Wassup?"

"You okay?" He asked me as he glanced at my bite wound and the bruises around my leg and arm.

"I've had better days."

"Hikari!"

"Calm down C.J, please!" I laughed out loud as he groaned to himself, anger setting into his face.

But as I forced a little laughter out, he relaxed and realized how crazed he looked. After he rolled his eyes to himself, he carefully reached under me and lifted me off the ground. We hadn't even taken three steps when Kouhei and Miyu finally caught up with him, panting like dogs that made me laugh again. But that was cut off quickly as blood got stuck in my throat, and with no choice I had to cough it up to their disgust.

"Should I heal her?" Miyu said out loud as she grabbed onto her charms, but Kouhei stopped her as people came out of nowhere.

"No, it's too risky. We should-"

"Wait! Not the clinic!" I coughed a little, holding out my hand towards Kouhei to stop talking.

"Anywhere...but...there."

"Hikari!" He said as he grasped onto my hand, his warmth numbing the pain a little as everything turned black.

_"Sorry guys, but I'm tired. Let me sleep okay?"_

"Hikari!"


	6. An Open Heart

_"Ugh, did I die at last? God I hope I did..."  
>Man, you're just a little ray of sunshine aren't you?<em>

_"Oh, you're still here. Then that means I'm not dead... right?"  
>No, you're not dead, just wake up and you'll see.<em>

_"No! No! Don't go just yet, tell me who you are first please! Wait, what's that noise? It's kind of annoying, are you doing this? Hey, someone turn off the noise! Someone, anyone please make it-_

"Stop." My voice came out from deep in the back of my throat, as if I hadn't spoken in a long time.

Everything screamed pain as I slowly adjusted my eyes to the harsh white light above me. The noise kept going non-stop, and the light never faded away as I finally looked out into the room. I realized the noise was a heart monitor beside me, and the light above was just the fluorescent light used in hospitals. I groaned out loud, not caring if anyone heard me since I was angry and embarrassed.

A freaking hospital? When I said not the clinic I didn't mean to take me to a hospital, and not such a fancy one at that. But how could I be angry, they were probably worried about me and had no where else to go. All I did was bleed out in C.J's arms and cover Kouhei's hand with my blood from my throat. Not exactly a cool thing to do if you ask me.

"Ow." I said out loud as I tried to pull something off my eye, but it stung badly as if I was ripping off skin.

I stopped and let the pain fade away before I felt around to see what it was. Soft gauze covered in tape stuck to my forehead where the hollow bashed in my temple. Looking down, I saw that most of my body was a dark purple where he held me, wrapping together like a small pattern. I could barely lift my shoulder, it was stitched up well and wrapped around with bandages probably about seven times it felt like. The oxygen cord tugged a little the wrong way and sent my heart in a panicked frenzy, scaring the day lights out of me as the machine buzzed loudly.

"Ow! What the hell, I wasn't even trying to move that time." I hissed to myself as I forced my heart to relax so the machine could stop.

"Oh goodness! Don't move, you'll strain yourself too much!" A woman's voice scolded me as she pushed down against my body so I would stay.

"Ow..."

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to touch your shoulder. Here, use this to sit up alright dear? I'll be right back with the doctor." She said in a softer voice while handing me a small remote before she turned and left.

The remote loosely sat in my hand, the I.V. tugged against the back with a sharp twist. It slipped through onto the bed, with the buttons facing up. Not wanting to tug at the cord, I carefully pressed the button and slowly the bed rose at last. I could breath easy again as the nurse returned with someone in tow with her. The nurse gently took the remote away and handed me a paper cup of water, gesturing me to drink.

"How are you feeling, Kurosaki-San?" The doctor asked as I drank the entire cup without caring if it dripped.

"In pain, but nothing I haven't felt before."

"Aren't you a little trooper?"

"I guess you can call me that."

His blue eyes glistened a little as he smiled at me, which finally told me who he was. It was just like what my dad told me about him; raven-colored hair and little blue eyes with a stoic look forever planted on his face. He held a small clipboard in his hands as he stepped a little closer towards me. I nearly screamed when I realized who it was, but that probably wouldn't have been a good idea. Plus it wasn't that big of a deal when I looked back to it, but at the time it was a huge moment.

_"Oh geezuz."  
>What?<em>

_"That's Uryu Ishida, Kouhei and Miyu's dad-Why am I telling you this?!"  
>Force of habit?<em>

_"...Shut up."_

"Hikari!" Miyu's voice rang out as if on cue, her presence oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room.

Her arms threw themselves around my neck, and her face dug into the wrong shoulder. I felt my entire body freeze up, an agonizing pain shooting itself straight up along my arm. Ishida and the nurse saw this and tried to pull her off but I stopped them. They couldn't see it yet, but Miyu was crying, no, practically sobbing into my shoulder. There was no way I could push her away when she was hurting this much. With my good arm, I wrapped it around her waist and brought her a little closer to me even though it hurt. Ishida sighed bitterly to himself and waved off the nurse as a second person emerged from the doorway.

It was Ciel, with his big gray eyes clouded with red as he kept the tears back from being shed. He carefully passed Ishida, but flinched obviously as the older man flicked his attention over. I could tell he was freaking out, but his face was set to show no emotion what so ever until he came by me. Miyu stepped aside and sat at the edge of my bed so C.J could sit beside me for a minute. He grasped the back of my hand lightly, telling me in his own words that he was glad to see me awake. I smiled a little up at him and nudged my hand under him to make him smile.

Lastly came in Kouhei, like the bad-ass he tried to portray himself to be. He completely ignored Ishida like Miyu, but also me for some reason. It was unclear if he was trying to show a different side to his dad, or it was because of me. I nearly gasped as I saw the huge black eye shine in the light above, it looked like he just got beaten to a bloody pulp. We caught each other's attention for a second, but as my eyebrows pushed themselves together, he rolled his eyes and turned to stare at his dad without acknowledging me.

_Rude much?  
>"I kinda have to agree, that was kind of douchey."<em>

_Kind of? Hasn't he tried to make a move on you since the park?  
>"Yeah... he has huh?"<em>

_Not mad with me?  
>"Shut up."<em>

"She needs to rest for a while, maybe three weeks if she behaves herself. Summer is coming up isn't it? Looks like you won't be able to go to school, Ms. Kurosaki." The doctor laughed towards me after explaining my situation to Kouhei (who I guess assumed to by my guardian since he was the oldest).

"Yeah, thankfully huh? Thanks again... father."

The word _father_ sent a bad twinge through my chest, an image of Ichigo appearing in the back of my head. C.J saw the change and automatically held my hand tighter, drawing Miyu's attention. They had a silent conversation until Kouhei looked over and saw what was happening. He stared at me until I met his gaze, a little bit of anger rising in the deepest pit of my stomach. I didn't know if he saw Ichigo, or if anyone beside C.J saw him, but it still hurt a little to me. Sorry if I looked like a baby, but you would too if you just saw your dad after ten years of nothing.

"Can I just kick you in the face right now?" I said out loud towards him, making his eyebrows bunch together out of frustration.

"If you weren't in the hospital, I would hit you."

"What's stopping you? If my shoulder wasn't hurting, I would totally kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Think I'm too weak to do it?"

"I think you're bluffing."

"Sorry Senpai, but she's not bluffing. One time she had sprained her wrist, and I tried to take her Halloween candy, and she kicked my ass with her bad hand." C.J said out of nowhere, raising his hands up in a submissive pose.

"I swear, wanna see the scar she gave me?"

Miyu stifled a laugh until he mentioned the scar, and then she couldn't hold it in any longer. She grasped the railing of the bed and shook it with her laughter. C.J, who still looked a little uneasy about older Ishida, laughed along and patted my arm. Ishida held back a small smile but Kouhei looked a little pissed off still. I smiled because it was true, and the fact C.J was trying so hard to make the air less tense made me happy. Finally, Kouhei sighed to himself but smiled along as he looked towards his chuckling father.

"Well, looks like everything is well here. If you need anything Kurosaki, you let me know okay?"

"Can you do one thing before you go?"

"Anything."

"Call me Hikari, not Kurosaki."

"...Sure. Goodnight Hikari."

"Goodnight ."

He nodded towards me and made his way out of the room at last, the tense atmosphere followed right behind him. C.J took less than a minute to sigh out loud and fall off the beside on purpose. The entire room shook, and scooted the bed back against the ground with a harsh screech.

"Praise the lord, he's gone!" He softly shouted into the air before putting his head between his knees.

No longer able to bite back my tongue, I let out a huge laugh that started to grow ever since he stepped in. Miyu, who was trying to calm herself down after the initial shaking, laughed along with me. C.J looked cross as he stared at all of us, especially Senpai since he was trying to hide his smile.

"Glad to see you're okay." I heard him say to me, but there was so much anguish deep in his voice that it made me stop.

"Me too! What were you thinking getting attacked by a hollow? You could have died!" Miyu scolded me, but judging by the look on her face, it was apparent that C.J hadn't told her much.

"I'm sorry Miyu, I was chasing that plushie you guys were following. And then I lost him, then that thing appeared and well... there really wasn't much I could do."

"Call us?"

"Sorry, but calling was the last thing on my mind." I suddenly lurched out in the wrong way, holding my hand against my mouth.

"Hikari?" C.J asked me, but I was too busy trying to keep down whatever was still in my stomach.

"I don't feel good, seriously I don't. Get me something, anything!"

"Step away, give her some air!" Kouehi said while pulling C.J and shoving him into Miyu's arm, giving me the air I needed.

_Breath Light, you don't wanna look like a wimp to your friends do you?  
>"I don't even care right now, oh god... I let someone die.."<em>

_It wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could do Hikari...  
>"But I could have just gotten eaten! Then he would have been okay!"<em>

_No! I don't need you dead! I need you alive!_

"Hikari...Hikari. Miyu go get some more water. Maybe something light for her to eat, it's been about ten hours since she last ate." Kouhei said softly as he gently rubbed my backside, his head leaning against mine.

"But what about-",

"Miyu, just go. They like you better anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Miyu growled towards her brother, but after seeing what just happened she sighed and started her way out. C.J wanted to stay, but Miyu grabbed onto his arm and practically dragged him with her. Once the door closed, this slight sensation of fear set into me, like something bad was about to happen. Kouhei turned his attention back to me and tried to make me say what happened.

"Hikari... Hikari are you alright? What's wrong Hikari?"

"I-I don't feel good."

"Why not?"

"B-Because...oh god where's a trashcan or something?"

"Hikari focus!" Kouhei said harshly as his hands grabbed onto my shoulders, shaking me a little until I screamed.

White hot pain covered most of my vision, my lip felt like it was on fire as I tried to suppress another scream. Kouhei slipped off the bed as I accidentally let out most of my reiatsu into the air. When I could numb the pain, I quickly brought all of it back inside and just panted like a dog. He carefully stood back up and came over to my bed, and stopped just before he could touch me.

"I'm sorry-"

"No! Just stop asking me if I'm okay? Please... just stop."

"Why Hikari? What happened?"

"I let a man die okay?!" I finally got off my chest as my hands grabbed onto his shirt just because I wanted to touch something.

"He-he just came out of nowhere... he kept asking me if I was okay when I knew he was scared. The hollow... it just grabbed him and loosened its grip on me. I got away, but his scream... all that screaming and crunching... it won't go away."

Tears rolled off my cheek and started to soak the bed sheets, my grip on his shirt felt like I was trying to rip it off of him. I couldn't handle it, the pain and guilt of letting a human die because I ran away. The machine was buzzing wildly, but no one came in to check on me. Kouhei was silent the entire time, his body still so I could just lean against his chest.

"Hikari... it's not your fault."

"Yes it is! If that accident hadn't happened, then I would be at home with my family and friends. I'd be a normal shinigami like my parents and no one would be afraid to come near me."

"But I'm not afraid."

I looked up from his chest to see his bitter-sweet expression, the look of anger behind his eyes. He pushed me away so his arms could slip under mine, and then he pulled me back in a more comfortable way. All I could do was wrap one arm around his neck, but he still managed to put his face into the crook of my neck. His breath felt warm and comforting, his entire body was giving me warmth in its own way.

"I'm not afraid of you, I'm just afraid of losing you."

"S-Senpai?"

"Don't you see? We're your family too, in a more misfit kind of way. Just because you can't fight like the rest of us doesn't mean you're not important too. Don't you see, we need you here with us Hikari... with me..."

"S-Senpai..."

_Whoa, schmoozer alert. A really sweet and understanding schmoozer.  
>"Oh my gosh... isn't this kind of a... confession?"<em>

_I don't know, you tell me. He's the one that you like... isn't it?  
>"Well uh... I don't know."<em>

"Hikari are you-want a pain killer?" He started to say to me, but then he bit his lip and changed his sentence.

"No! No, I'm alright now. I feel a little better, thank you."

"Ah, good. I hope Miyu and C.J return soon, you look famished." He said with a relieved look on his face, a flushed expression growing under his hand.

"Hey Senpai. Can I ask you something?"

_Just go for it, be as blunt as possible. I kinda like this kid._

"What is it Hikari?"

"Well... after hearing everything you told me... can I just ask out loud?"

"What out loud?"

"Do you... how did you get that black eye?" I completely messed up and tried to change the subject, my eyes darted to the side and away from him.

_Smooth. Smooth as pudding.  
>"Shut up!"<em>

"Oh this," He laughed sheepishly to himself as he pulled away and allowed me to see his eye in the light.

"My dad... is a good fighter."

"What was the fight about?" I asked in a small voice, my eyes focused on his bruise for a minute or two until he spoke out again.

"Nothing important, it doesn't hurt."

"Still looks pretty cool if you ask me."

He smiled a little crookedly as I started to trace his bruise with the tip of my finger. I got to the middle when our eyes met and he smiled eve bigger at me. My hand pulled away from him, and my head leaned down from his gaze. But his hand tipped my head up towards him again, his hazel eyes focused on me and only me.

"What were you really going to ask me, Hikari?" He whispered in a soft voice, his hand under my chin so I couldn't look down.

_Wow, this kid is good. Almost fooled me if you wanna know.  
>"Not really."<em>

_You're mean.  
>"Whatever."<em>

"Hikari... what is it?"

"Well... I don't wanna be weird but... do you like me?"

"Like you?"

"As in... more than just a friend?"

_Subtle...real subtle.  
>"Who asked you?"<em>

Kouhei seemed broken when I asked him if he liked me, not the sad kind but like the toy kind. He got up and started pacing the entire room, most likely debating to himself if he did have feelings like I asked. After about five minutes I almost fell asleep but he suddenly snapped his fingers and woke me up.

"What time is it anyway-"

"I do!"

"Excuse me?"

"Do I have to repeat myself? What about you?" He asked as he came back to me, his hands over my hand.

"Me?"

"Yeah, what about you?"

"I...I do like you, Kouhei."

"I like you too Hikari, I don't know for how long but I have."

"Yay?"

He chuckled a little as his hand brushed some of my hair from my face again, stopping around my cheek. I grabbed onto his sleeve with my good hand, and lightly bit against my lip. Everything seemed frozen around us, except of course for the heart monitor and I-V thing. His eyes cautiously glanced up and down until he decided to take the first step forward. As I watched him lean in, my heart started thumping out loud in a good way that didn't send the machine on a frenzy. I could feel his breath tickling my lips again when the door slammed open without warning.

"Hikari!" Yuzu cried into her handkerchief as Karin stepped forward, practically pushing Kouhei out of the way but not on purpose.

He moved to the edge of the bed so Karin could hold me with Yuzu behind her. It was strange to see them crying, the only other time I saw them like this was ten years ago. Their eyes were all red and puffy from crying, and it looked like Karin wanted to hit me upside the head. But of course she wasn't, at least not with Yuzu beside her. She soothingly brushed my hair like when I was younger, which got me teary-eyed. Yuzu stepped forward and just held onto my hand, afraid to hurt me anymore. But I held my arm out so she could come closer, because all I wanted was to feel her there.

"Auntie Yuzu...Auntie Karin..."

"Oh Hikari, you're okay. It's alright... you're safe now."

I started bawling again, but this time it wan't because I was sad or anything. It was just because I was happy and relieved that they were here with me. Karin shushed me quietly as Yuzu patted my head again with a small smile. Just as I started to stop, Miyu and C.J reappeared with a ton of food in their hands, some bruising around their cheeks. Miyu's eyes glanced over to me and then to her brother, trying to figure out what happened. But Kouhei motioned her to come over while C.J easily slipped away to be by me. He set the food on the table and held onto my hand as Karin and Yuzu stepped back towards the door.

"Okay?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Almost asking You-Know-Who to take me away."

"I don't blame you for wanting to."

"But I'm home here, with you guys. And that's good enough for me."

"Me too."

He smiled his slightly psychotic grin and leaned his head against mine so he could shed some tears without anyone seeing. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair, grabbing a chunk so he couldn't pull away. Karin and Yuzu sighed a little in relief as Kouhei and Miyu came around beside us as C.J finished. Kouhei held my hand out from everyone's view, Miyu was resting her head against my knees, and of course C.J's arm was around my shoulder.

"Oh yeah... you are my family."

"Amen."

* * *

><p><strong>~Takashi's POV~<strong>

The moonlight shone brightly above as I made my way over to the hospital where Hikari was. Earlier that day, Urahara sent Kon out to find Hikari's friends, but thankfully dad was already out and about to save her. When he came back, he said her friends had her and she would be fine, especially since they were taking her to Uryu's hospital. I felt relieved, but there was something nagging me in the back of my mind. He seemed bitter about leaving Hikari in such a drastic state, but it might have been because it had been ten years since he last saw his daughter after what happened.

"Hikari, Hikari, Hikari... look what you've gotten yourself into."

I finally made it to the hospital, and found her just as quickly because of a sudden surge of her reiatsu. She seemed upset, but it wasn't like I could just slip in, not when there was someone else in the room with her. So, like any other guy, I had to wait it out and make sure she was safe. And judging by their body movements, things seemed to go more smoothly at last.

_"Oh good, she's alright. Another surge like that and something might come and try to hurt her again. Man, maybe I shouldn't have restored her reiatsu all the way-"_

I couldn't help but stop as I witnessed the sudden change of atmosphere in the room. The boy, the Quincy, was holding onto my sister in a comforting way. She seemed startled, but of course she wouldn't say anything out loud. At that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to pull the boy from her arms.

"That... bastard.."

"Calm down Takashi, you don't want to let your sister know you're here do you?" His voice taunted me as both him and his lieutenant appeared, the air growing colder and colder.

"Oh, so kind of you guys to come."

"Quit the attitude Takashi, what are you doing here again?" Captain Toshiro questioned me as Rangiku tried to looked past me and into the room.

"Making sure my baby sister doesn't die-"

"Don't say it, not like that. You're just making it worse."

"How is she...?" Rangiku asked me in a soft voice, her hand grasping the front of her hakama like she was ready to rip it off.

"She'll live, as long as she stays here for a while. She has a concussion, but there's no internal bleeding. The hollow bit her shoulder but not all the way through so they were able to save it. There are some bruised ribs, but nothing too serious to worry about. And of course the usual bruising and scratches from being thrown around like a rag doll."

"And how did you come to this information?"

"I have my sources, Captain. I'm sure you can understand."

"So he was here too then?"

"He waited until I arrived at Urahara's, then went straight back home."

"Same old Ichigo..." Toshiro laughed to himself as he flipped his bangs from his face, exposing his teal eyes into the moon light.

"Can you blame him? It's been ten years-"

"Just like everyone else. You don't think we've been wanting to see her again?"

"Why don't you go and see if she's been waiting too?"

"Don't petranize me, boy."

"Takes one to know one."

"Alright that's enough!" Rangiku came between us, a look of anger flashing in her eyes as she glanced at me. "Let's not get into a fight, Hikari's been through enough for a while. She'll definitely try and see if we're here if you continue."

"You're right...sorry Rangiku." I sighed while turning my back to them, to make sure Hikari was okay.

There were more people in the room, including Karin and Yuzu, so I knew she was safe. When I looked over my shoulder, Rangiku was biting her lip to keep the tears from falling. Toshiro was bitterly trying to see Hikari, but stopped when he caught sight of me. I knew I was being a brat, but I couldn't help it. Hikari was my sister, and as a big brother I should have been there for her when she needed me the most. No matter what the adults said, I should have been there...

"Even when she's wrapped around in bandages, she still has that cute look to her." Rangiku said to herself, but it was loud enough for us to hear, but she might of wanted us to.

Toshiro stifled a chuckle and nodded but I couldn't help but laugh out loud at her. Her soft blue eyes glanced over to me, but she smiled and laughed at herself. She had noticed too, even though it had been a while, Hikari still seemed the same cute girl from before. Everything from her eyes to her oddly colored hair that she loved just screamed little Hikari again. But then again, there were some things that changed-

"And she's so big! I barely had time to notice when I saw her in the park! You can't hide those babies under that gown... I wonder if she would like to be my twin for a night!" She jokingly laughed as she hugged her... bosom with her hands.

"Shut up Rangiku!" Both Toshiro and I screamed towards her, a blush on our cheeks when we glanced towards each together.

What?! Toshiro not you too! Gah, this is insane! I can't wait till she comes home so we can have that conversation about the birds and the bees! Oh goodness Rangiku, why would you say such a thing to us men? After we all just started thinking about little Hikari too...

"Oops... went too far huh?"

"Maybe just a little." Toshiro sighed out loud as he quickly glanced back towards Hikari's room with a startled expression.

We all held out breaths as we glanced down, but the light in her room was out. Looking closer, you could see her sleeping soundly, or at least trying to. We all sighed in relief, and just as I took a step forward, Toshiro intervened. His tiny body stood in front of me, his hand holding onto his sword just in case I was going to fight.

"Captain...just for a minute. Please?"

Our eyes met again, a silent conversation between us debating whether it was okay. But after a second, he smirked and nodded towards me. Rangiku sighed happily to herself as he came to her side, holding out his hand to open the gateway back to the Gotei 13. Once they were gone, I quickly slipped into the hospital and made my way into Hikari's room. As I got closer, it turned out it was much harder for her to sleep that I thought.

"Hikari... my poor sister..."

There were tubes stuck all around her, and by the look on her face, you could tell it was hard to sleep. She would wince every minute or two, her eyes twitching the entire time. I gently grabbed onto her hand and watched her for a second, and hoped it would go away. She seemed relaxed as I held onto her, which sent me over the edge.

"Hikari, things are getting weird at home. They're fighting, all the captains are fighting about what I did but dad's winning. It's been ten fucking years for goodness sake, you should be fine now. There's no way of knowing for real if you'll-"

The sound of a cart coming by stopped me, the door shaking as it rolled down the hallway. I could hear a woman softly singing to herself, which wasn't good. I turned back to Hikari and tried to hurry and finish what I could say.

"Hikari, I want you home. We all want you home, no matter how damaged you are. Despite what happened, you're still my little sister. And I love you, just remember that."

I leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, the one spot she loved to be kissed at. As I pulled away, a small smile grew on her face which sent my heart a-fluttering. Seeing her like that made it harder to leave, but I also couldn't risk losing my position just yet. Finally, I pulled away and left back to the Gotei 13 and tried to focus on the matter at hand.

_"Hikari... I swear you'll be able to come home... One way or another."_

* * *

><p><strong>~Hikari's POV~<strong>

_Ugh, for shinigami, they sure are loud and obvious.  
>"Can you blame them? I wonder what their fighting about."<em>

_Hopefully something not stupid, like your boobs or something.  
>"My boobs are not what they're talking about! Shut up!"<em>

_Is that all you can tell me to do?  
>"Be quiet!"<em>

It hadn't even been ten minutes when I woke up to the sounds of yelling outside my window. I would have freaked out if their reiatsus weren't so recognizable after all these years. To other people, it would have been a sight to see people floating about twenty stories up from the ground, but not to me. I tilted my head to the side to see Toshiro and Takashi fighting about something, Rangiku saying something to make them both freak out.

_"Same old Rani..."  
>She's beautiful. The boy is a cutie too.<em>

_"That's Toshiro, a captain. Rani's his lieutenant."  
>The other boy?<em>

_"That's my brother, Takashi. I wonder what they're doing here?"  
>Probably making sure you're not dead. You're pretty banged up Hikari, people are worried.<em>

_"They shouldn't be, I'm alright."  
>You shouldn't talk all high and mighty, one day you're going to wish they would worry.<em>

_"I have been wishing they would worry about be... for the last ten years."  
>Sorry, but you whine too much sometimes.<em>

_"Well... sorry. There's really no one I whine to, I guess it just came out today."  
>I guess I'll just have to life with it then. I like to complain a lot, kind of like Yoda but not in the weird way.<em>

_"Good to know. Can people hear you, or is it just me?"  
>All you sweetie, now look dead, you're brother's coming in.<em>

Sure enough, as soon as I closed my eyes I felt my brother's presence enter the room. The voice in my head stiffened, and don't ask me how I could tell I just could. It was hard playing possum with him in the room, but it went very well despite all the pain I was feeling. He just stared at me for the longest time before he grabbed my hand. His warmth trickled up my arm, and made me feel relaxed. I almost fell back to sleep before he started whispering to me.

"Hikari, things are getting weird at home. They're fighting, all the captains are fighting about what I did but dad's winning. It's been ten fucking years for goodness sake, you should be fine now. There's no way of knowing for real if you'll-"

He got cut off by the sounds of a car coming down the hallway, and not as quietly as you would think in a hospital. I could feel he was shaking a little, either out of fear of getting caught or by getting taken away. His reiastu was wavering in a weird way, but I tried to ignore it and focus on what he was talking about.

_Whoa, didn't see that coming.  
>"Dammit, I want to know what he was about to say! What about me?!" <em>

_In time Hikari, we'll find out.  
>"Do you know what happened to me? The accident, were you there? Ow, my head..."<em>

_No, honestly I don't recall what happened then... or before... anything really.  
>"Who are you? How are you inside my head?"<em>

_I'm not so sure, it's all a blur... you can't remember either?  
>"Why did you start talking to me?"<em>

_Because I was lonely._

"Hikari, I want you home. We all want you home, no matter how damaged you are. Despite what happened, you're still my little sister. And I love you, just remember that."

He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose, something that he hadn't done in a long time. I couldn't help but smile, but he didn't seem to realize that I was awake. He waited another second before leaving the room, and then, the world entirely. My eyes slowly opened up to the dark room I was in, with a fading light in the bathroom.

"I love you too, Taka-Chan..."

_Man, I hate secrets.  
>"Me too, we'll figure this out together won't we?"<em>

_Of course, I'm getting tired of not remembering. But what if... it was bad?  
>"Doesn't matter, as long as we don't think about it too much... right?"<em>

_I hope you're right. It's late, you should get some rest. We got a long week ahead of us.  
>"Oh alright, goodnight then."<em>

_Night Light.  
>"That was a bad pun."<em>

_Who asked you?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hey guys, I know you might be a little confused on the voice, but I'll make it work out. She's someone special that Hikari will have to listen to if they want to find the truth. She was once normal, the voice I mean, but something happened that made her different. It's kind of complicated, but it'll work out in the end.<br>**_

_**Just stick with me for a little while, and everything will come out. Thanks guys, I hope you liked it.**_


	7. My Blue Day

Hospitals were boring. Period. Especially the first two weeks of it, since everyone's watching you to make sure you don't die. And every two hours Ishida would come in my room, no matter what I was doing (which was nothing obviously) and change my bandages on my bite. It stung every time, and I knew he was trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Hikari, we need to talk." Karin said as soon as she came into my room the second Thursday morning I was at the hospital.

I was in the middle of getting my wound re-wrapped, so it was kind of awkward that Ishida was still in the room. But she paid no attention to him as she pulled up a chair and sat in the middle with her arms crossed. I glanced down towards Uryu, who looked back in return, but he had nothing to say. She gave me a minute before I actually could acknowledge her so early in the morning.

"Morning Karin, what brings you-"

"Tell me the truth, what happened to you? What really happened?" She asked bluntly, ignoring my weak attempt to be polite and shoved it away like nothing.

"The truth-ow! That's a bit snug right there."

"Sorry about that, raise the gown a little higher again."

"Hikari, I'm being very patient with you but sometimes I'm ready to snap. Falling down stairs should not give you this much damage, much less a dog."

"A dog.. right..."

I completely forgot the cover story my idiot friends made up for me while I was still recuperating. Apparently, I was walking along the train tracks (which no one does) and this rabid dog came and attacked me (which is so wrong since there hadn't been a rabid sighting in forever). And then, out of pain I ran to the old train station (which no one goes to) and tripped over some stairs that happened to be in my way (the highest they go is about ten steps).

It was a huge fiasco, Miyu told me that people at school started rumors about the entire thing (if I was them I maybe would have too). Most of my friends wanted to go see if they could find the so-called rabid dog and give it justice. But C.J had the brilliant idea to step in and say it ran away out of town already, raining on everyone's parade. But that still didn't phase Karin, no, nothing of the sort would.

"Honestly auntie, after I got bit, everything's a bit hazy." I said while rolling my eyes in the back of my head, holding my hand over my face.

But even that couldn't hide the death glare she was sending over to me, nothing could. As far as I could remember, Ichigo told me that Karin was able to see pluses just as well as him. And there were times that I swore she was staring right at some in the shop when they were bugging me. But I also recalled that she refused to mention anything of the sort, that was something he always told me to remember. So there was no way I could just tell her, even if I wanted to (and trust me I wanted too so very much).

Plus, one adult (meaning Uryu) was more than enough for now to know about what happened for now.

_"Even if I wanted to tell you auntie, you would think I've gone mental and send me to a ward or something."  
>Plus I don't think it's a good idea to mention Ichigo is it?<em>

_"Oh God no, that would be the last thing I would tell her."_

"Aren't you the kind of person to fall up stairs? Not down them..." She had to put out there with her some-what snarky attitude and sheepish grin.

At last, Uryu stood up after he finished my re-wrapping and quickly stepped out of the room. Barely, just barely you could hear him laughing out loud to himself which got me angry. A second later Karin started laughing to herself, but she wasn't trying to suppress it. A minute into her laughter, Uryu stepped back in and sat beside me on the bed. His eyes were telling me to chill out, but something deep inside me this wasn't really much of a laughing matter.

_She's good.  
>"A little too good for her own well-being."<em>

_Worried much?  
>"Is it that noticeable?"<em>

"Now Hikari, I'm sure that Ms. Kurosaki is just worried about you... that's all." Uryu said in the most business man-like tone I had ever heard with a hint of sincerity.

_Oh dang, another schmoozer?  
>"This must be where he gets it from."<em>

"He's right." Karin spoke in a soft voice, the usual air of independence washing away with a snap of her finger.

"He's right, I'm very worried. I know I'm not the soft one but... I can tell when you're hurting. And right now, after Takashi left, you were deeply wounded. You know... it hurt us too. But you don't have to distance yourself from us, we're right here... when you need us."

The entire time I was trying to keep the tears back, but the tone of her voice made them come anyway. Without all the medication running through my veins, it was easier to see how hurt and depressed she was after all these years. I should have realized that they too were sad, not being able to see their brother or nephew for ten years. Worried about me and wondering if I was going through a rebellious state or something.

"I-I'm sorry Karin. I know these past few years I haven't been the brightest or kindest to you guys. Particularly because of what happened, I guess I'm just a little bitter towards my family. But you guys, are the best thing I could have. And I guess, when Takashi appeared out of nowhere, the hope that died just came back to me..."

She looked awful, specifically when she heard the word _"hope" _and _"died" _together in the same sentence. Tears that were never ever seen in her eyes appeared out of nowhere, which freaked me out a little. I grasped onto the gown I was wearing and cried a little to myself, not because of me but because of her. Taking the situation, Uryu swooped down and wrapped an arm around Karin's shoulder, and gently guided her up.

"Well, I think that's enough for one day. I'll check on you later alright?"

"Okay, I'm sorry auntie... I really am."

"Me too." Was all she said as Uryu lead her out of my room, leaving me alone with the heart monitor buzzing loudly to my heart.

_"Wow, she's never cried like that. I feel awful for making her cry..."  
>Well, at least it gave us some time... although it hurt.<em>

_"You can say that again."  
>But dammit, we let the Quincy win this one!<em>

_"You're right, what's the score again?"  
>Quincy: Ten. Shinigami: Nada.<em>

_"Shit, this isn't looking good for us is it?"  
>Not one bit.<em>

* * *

><p>By the end of the week, my friends were able to see me more often since school released them. Kouhei told me that my teachers would allow me to come to school and work on all my finals I needed to pass. When of course I was able to use my hands normally again. Until then though, he said he would refresh my memory and study for said tests. Which he did, and helped me pass with excellent grades.<p>

But that's for another time.

"Hikari, I'm home!" C.J said in his loud voice Friday afternoon as I played with my bed again out of boredom.

"C.J how was the last day of-what in hell did you do to your hands?!"

He looked surprised as I grabbed his wrist and held up his hands in the light, wincing at how awful it looked. They were all bruised and bloody, and as I looked back up, it was clear that he was in a fight. There was a long gash running up his cheek bones, and his eye was slightly puffy, but he was smiling like nothing happened.

"Nothing happened Hika, I was just-don't do that!" He whispered furiously at me as I tried to get off the bed.

"Touch me and I'll scream bloody-murder. And god help you if you think I won't do it."

_Ooh, nice threat.  
>"If he touched me, there's no way I could make it out."<em>

C.J's eyes widen at the thought, so I pushed him away so I had plenty of room to get off the bed. In reality, I hadn't been off the bed unless I needed to use the bathroom or allow Uryu to re-wrap me. The pain was slightly unbearable as I hobbled over to where ever the old man was, which I prayed would be close. I could feel C.J behind me, but it wasn't his place to interfere unless he wanted a good smack to the head. Lucky for me, Uryu's room was close by and it was open, so I didn't have to fumble with the knob or anything.

"Can your room be any farther away?" I tried to joke as I hobbled in, but by the look of Uryu's face, it was clear he was pissed as hell.

"Hikari! What are you doing up, you should be resting-"

"Yeah but I won't until this moron gets some treatment first!" I shouted as C.J appeared at least, pulling some of the attention away from me.

Uryu stopped himself from grabbing my arm and looked up to Ciel's face, wincing at the gash. I half-expected him to yell at me for getting up for a stupid reason, but he sighed to himself and lifted me off the ground without warning. Despite Ciel's and my protest, he carried me all the way back, ignoring all the nurses laughter and giggles. He carefully set me back on the bed, and without batting an eyelash, pointed C.J to the edge. As he sat down, Uryu left and soon returned with a small white box with a big red cross on it.

Ciel death glared towards me as Uryu pulled a chair and sat in front of him while he rummaged through the box. I couldn't help but giggle at the sight of them together, specifically because C.J was about a foot taller than the older man and knew it. When the older man was about to clean his gash, he stopped momentarily and just gazed up at the beast in front of him. Trying to be nice, he leaned down a little, but that probably hurt him a tiny bit.

"Thanks mom." C.J angrily sighed at me as Uryu finished cleaning his knuckles and left the room.

"Can you blame me? What happened Ciel, you haven't been in a fight since sophomore year."

"Yeah well, this time it was personal."

"What-"

"That Miyami chick is a bitch, talking trash about you. I got angry but at least stepped in before Miyu started yelling. Her soon-to-be-ex boyfriend tried to beat me up..."

"But of course you won, moron." I laughed as he rested his head against my lap, his eyes staring up at me.

"Thanks for not going bezerk."

"Only when I need to, he just had sharp claws."

"God, why are you so crazy?"

"Because I was born that way."

We both kind of chuckled loudly, smiling like fools even though it shouldn't have been funny. My cheeks started to hurt, but only because I hadn't smiled like that in what felt like forever. He stopped first and then started to play with my hair that he managed to pull from the side. I growled a little, but let him play with it for a minute or two.

"Nee, Ciel..."

"Hm? What is it Hika?"

"Why are you so tense around Uryu?"

"Oh, he's alright but he hasn't really come around to the whole I'm-dating-your-daughter-and-did-I-mention-I'm-dat ing-your-daughter situation..."

"What about Orihime?"

"Oh, she loves me. Miyu gets annoyed but I think it's the best thing ever."

"God, are all the boys I know schmoozers?" I half-laughed out as my cheeks started to get sore from smiling too much.

"Glad to see you a little normal." C.J said as he sat up from my lap, wincing a bit as he stretched out his fingers.

We were quiet after that, the moment a little too tense for my liking. I tried to reach out and grab onto his hand, but the bandaged on my temple shifted down so I missed. As my hand tried to push it back into place, something warm grabbed onto my hand and pulled it down. My eyes instantly met with his soft gray ones, but they sent a twinge of pain down my chest. He looked devastated, like he should have been the one who got hurt and not me.

"I'm sorry I haven't been there for you like I promised."

"It's okay C.J, you're busy and I respect that. It's nice that you've finally found someone else though."

"Really?"

"Really. Besides, you don't always have to worry about little old me so much. I'm a grown girl, and dammit I should act like one sometimes."

"Then what kind of friend would I be?" He asked me in a soft voice, his hands cupping my face to make me look at him.

"And I know... if I was in your situation, you would have done the same exact thing for me. And don't say _I would not!" _He said abruptly as I tried to open my mouth, with his finger covering my lips.

"I can read you like a book Hika, don't you forget that."

"Argh, you're such a good friend. Too good if ya ask me." I jokingly praised him as I grabbed the back of his hand that still held my cheek.

He smiled and motioned that I should scoot over a little closer to the railing. I did as he told me to, and the next minute I swear the bed leaned back a bit as he got on. After the shaking stopped, he relaxed on the bed and gently pulled me into his arms so my head was against his chest. He was very careful, and somehow managed to get my bad shoulder resting against him as well, so there was less pain for me. His arm draped over protectively around my waist as his head leaned against mine. I felt as ease for once, there was nothing to worry about and I was finally spending some alone time with C.J liked I wanted to. All was well, and he seemed to be fine too by the sounds of his heartbeat.

_I have to say, this is very nice.  
>"Yeah, it is huh?"<em>

_Was it always this nice before?  
>"You mean before him and Miyu got together? Yeah, always."<em>

_I like.  
>"Me too."<em>

* * *

><p>After his visit, I started to get restless in my room and the hospital itself. Uryu wanted to make sure my shoulder was alright, so a few times he sent me to therapy. That itself was fun, but after the first few times, the deemed me to be okay. But since the wound itself was deep, he wanted to keep me a little longer. Soon, I started walking around the hospital and visited everyone when he wasn't around. The nurses were really nice, and would tell me when Uryu was coming so I could hobble away.<p>

There came a time, about a day before my release when I stumbled upon the baby ward and found all the newborns. They were so cute, and the nurse that had taken care of me before allowed me to come in for a minute. I couldn't help but squeal in delight over the newborns, they were so cute and squishy. She let me stay in the corner as she washed them and redressed them for their parents. There was one who was fussy and started to cry loudly, and she couldn't get her to stop.

"Maybe I could help? Or am I too tainted?"

"No, we just tell people that so they don't mess with the babies."

"Really?"

"No, but maybe you can calm her down." She sighed tiredly as she handed the little bundle in my arm, her head fitting perfectly in the crook.

The little girl stared up at me with her big gray eyes, and started to cry again. The nurse laughed as I froze with her crying, and tried to take her away. But I shook my head and kind of rocked her slowly back and forth. Nothing I did seemed to make her relax, she could tell I was different and not her normal lady.

_Man, you're bad with kids.  
>"Be quiet! I don't know what to do."<em>

_Sing, babies like to hear soft voices.  
>"Sing? I don't know anything good songs."<em>

_Just sing a stupid lullaby! Your mom must have sang you something.  
>"No... but my uncle did."<em>

_Which one? The flower guy or the pineapple head?  
>"The flowery one actually, when I would sneak in his office during the day."<em>

_Well do something, I'm getting kind of irritated here.  
>"Calm down, I got this."<em>

I rolled my eyes to myself as the baby continued to scream her tiny head off. The nurse, her name was Sana, shook her head out of annoyance, but stopped when she heard me sing. It was an old song about lovers and flowers... or something like that. My voice was a little shaky at first, but as she stopped and stared at me, it came out perfectly. Sana was surprised at how quiet she had gotten, and realized that all the babies in the room were silent too. When I stopped, the little girl was smiling up at me and tried to hold onto my hand.

"Well I'll be, that's some voice you have Hikari. I'm impressed." Sana laughed quietly as I played with the baby's hands for a minute or two.

"What is going on here?" Uryu's voice scolded the two of us as he stepped silently down the staircase with a clipboard in his hand.

"Oh! I well um..."

"It's my fault Mr. Uryu!" I said as the baby began to fuss a little in my arms, making me freak out for a second.

"I wanted to get out of the room and- could you excuse me for a second."

"I shall not-"

"Shh!" Sana said as I started to sing again, a different song I learned from a movie when I was younger.

Both her and Uryu went silent as I sang for the baby again, and watched me twirl a little to get her to sleep. When I was coming to an end, I couldn't help but laugh as her eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep. Uryu was astounded but Sana had already heard me sing, but she was still impressed. I carefully handed back the baby to Sana, and had to do the walk of shame back to my room with Mr. Uryu. All the nurses laughed behind my back as I returned to my room, dreading what he would yell at me this time.

"Hikari..."

"I know, I know... I should be resting so I don't hurt myself anymore. There's no excuse for me to be up and about when I could have-"

"I was just going to say, you have a nice voice." Uryu smirked at me as I grew a small blush around the apple of my cheeks.

"Oh... thank you. I guess I get it from Ichigo, you know a lot of people say I'm kind of like him."

His eyes got a little wide at the sound of his name flowing off my lips so easily, but it was a force of habit. Seeing his face all confused and bewildered made me laugh a little, for such an older man he was funny. When he saw me laugh, he kind of got angry, but I made it up to him and started singing the same song from earlier. He listened to the entire song again, and when I finished, he just smiled and left the room.

The next morning, Yuzu arrived with a fresh set of clothes for me and said I could go home. Apparently, Uryu called last night and told them I could leave at last. Of course, I couldn't do a whole bunch for a couple more days, but once that was done I could be normal again. I cheered in joy and hugged my aunt so tightly it made her squeak. She left right before Uryu stepped back in and unwrapped my shoulder for me.

"Now don't get into any more fights, hollows or not. I don't want to see you in this hospital all bloody again, just normal if you don't mind?"

"Okay! But no promises sir."

"At least you'll try right? This healed up quite nicely, but there will be a scar."

"No worries, I kind of like the idea. And of course I'll try but you know... I'm kind of a danger magnet."

"I've noticed. Just try to be safe alright?"

"Of course."

He smiled a little more kindly and patted my back as I left for good. Sana waved goodbye with the baby from yesterday, she was getting her ready to go home. I laughed and waved back, and started a slight trot once Uryu was out of sight. I practically exploded from the hospital doors, and scared a few people as I raced down the pathway. The familiar sounds of cars and people walking got me all excited, I barely heard my phone ring.

"Hello!" I said a little too peppy-like, which made whomever was calling me laugh pretty loudly.

"Hikari... it's too early to be this peppy." A male's voice (neither C.J's nor my grandpa's) teased me enough to stop jumping in my spot.

"Wait... who is this?"

"Aw, you're mean Hikari..."

_This voice...  
>"Could it be-"<em>

"And here I thought you liked me."

"Shit, Kouhei!" I sputtered out as loud as possible as the voice inside my head started laughing like mad.

_Oh man, my sides are splitting! Ah-ha-ha!  
>"S-Shut up! You're not even supposed to-just go away!"<em>

"Yes you silly girl, it's me. My father just told me you got out at last, why are you so peppy?"

"Not peppy, happy. Happy that I'm free at last."

"Ah, that makes sense. It's been a long time since you've been out huh? Speaking of which, are you expected to be home soon?"

"No, not really..."

"Great, mind meeting me at the park then? I kind of want to talk about something." Kouhei's voice slightly wavered towards the end, as if he felt guilty about something he was about to do.

"Okay... ten minutes then?"

"Sounds perfect, see you then."

"Bai?"

"Bye Hikari."

His voice, even after the call ended, sent tingles up along my spine like lightning. It was strange to hear him use my name still, and so close to my ear made it even worse. The voice in my head made fun of me the entire way to the park, but I chose to ignore her. We almost made it to the park, when something caught my attention towards the front. His bright blue hair was obvious, but there was something else about him, something familiar. His reiatsu was different, and yet I felt like I knew it from somewhere.

"Ciel?"

He completely ignored me and walked right past without so much of a glance. Being the ignorant and tired girl I was, I felt a bit hurt and annoyed. I twirled around towards the walking figure and threw the first thing that I saw, which happened to be an abandoned tennis ball.

"I'm talking to you Ciel! Answer me back god dammit!"

It struck him hard right in his neck, forcing him to stumble a few steps forward. Then his reiatsu surged out of anger, and nearly sent me down to my knees. I took a few steps back out of fear, still thinking that it was Ciel and not someone else. But then I saw how tall he was, his hair style no where near what Ciel's was, and his eyes. His eyes that were raging with anger were not smokey gray, but bright blue with little green marks under them.

"Oh shit... my bad... Grimmjow."

He was ready to pounce until he heard me say his name out loud, and actually looked at me. Maybe it was my hair color that gave it away, or it could have been my eyes, but something sparked in his head. I flinched as he got closer to me, which stopped him and made him groan to himself. He smacked his head out of anger and turned his back to me for a second before spinning around again.

"H-Hikari... it has to be you right?" His deep voice growled towards me as I somewhat relaxed and nodded.

"It's been a while.. old man."

"Oh yeah, it's definitely you Hikari." He laughed out loud to himself, his psychotic smile on his face.

I smiled and held my place because it had been awhile since the last time I saw Grimmjow here in little Karakura Town. He was always leaving for some unknown reason, which left me to watch over Ciel in the mean time. But every now and then he would return and cause mayhem for me and his son. But I knew he meant well, so it was nice to see him in a good mood after the few years he had been gone.

"Still you Hikari, what with your hair and that stupid berry's... eyes?" He stopped himself as he stared at the small scratch still on my temple.

I felt flushed and embarrassed, I had forgotten about the scar on my forehead that I got from the wall. My hand tried to nonchalantly brush some hair across it, but he stepped forward and stopped me. I winced as he pushed the hair out of the way, and roughly nudged his thumb across it.

"Ow, it's still tender."

"What happened Hikari?" He asked me as his eyes got even wider, probably because of the bite mark on my shoulder.

His hand grasp my shoulder as if he was about to push my shirt down, but then after realizing how much I had grown, he stopped. His cheeks were burning hot red as he pulled away and averted his eyes. I wanted to laugh, but couldn't do it after seeing how worried he was. So, to make it a little better, I shifted my shirt so he could only see the scar left behind, most of it around my neck and top of the shoulder. His eyes came back and saw it, and after a minute he grabbed my shirt and put it back in place.

"Hikari..."

"You really wanna know?"

"Hell yes I want to know. What the heck did you do to yourself?" He said angrily at me, his eyes flashing the demanding parent look.

"It's not like I wanted to get attacked by a hollow okay?!" I shouted a little to loud for comfort, but he didn't seem to mind.

"A hollow? A freaking hollow attacked you?!"

"It... just came out of nowhere alright? It bit down on my shoulder but my old man came out of freaking nowhere and stopped it."

"Ichigo?"

"Who else? Anyway, I went to a hospital and have been there since three weeks ago. Today's my first day out."

"Where was he in the first place? Your entire family should have been there for you, why weren't they?"

"It's complicated Grimmjow, and I just..."

"What Hikari?" He said bluntly, his voice serious with a bit of worry intermingled in between.

"I can't... fight."

"You can't or you won't?"

"I mean I literally can not fight Grimmjow. Don't you remember when I came to school all bandaged and battered? I said I had an accident?"

"Yeah I remember, but I thought it wasn't serious..."

"It was super serious, like, no more spiritual power to even sense my friends serious." I cried out the last bit, biting my lip so I could try and hold back tears.

"So... no more soul reaper?"

"Not for me, my soul and body got damaged too badly that day... There was nothing they could do to help."

He fell silent after that, to absorb all the information that was lost to him these past years. I wanted to run away and hide in some hole, but he would have found me and forced me to continue. So, I held my breath and tried to keep myself from exploding like with Kouhei. I didn't need that to occur again, at least not with this guy.

"I've tried everything, there have been times when I think I'm back to normal, but then it disappears. Maybe by my ninth birthday is when I gave up, since they never came back to get me."

"They?" He questioned me a little softer this time, but his bluntness still left a sting in my heart.

"My parents. My brother. Everyone that I encountered in the Gotei 13, because they're afraid of me. Even though I've been very patient... not a single sign."

I could feel the wind pick up again, but that was probably because I was sad and angry. Grimmjow's ears perked up a little as it howled all around us, but I was too busy crying to myself. There was nothing I could do to make them stop, it was either that or screaming in the abandoned warehouses later. He kind of jumped in his spot as he saw me cry, but nothing came out his mouth. To passerbys, it might have looked wrong, but I couldn't stop since also I was crying over where he rubbed my temple.

_Man, such strong fingers. That hurt.  
>"I-I know."<em>

_Hey, it's okay Light. At least he's not doing anything weird.  
>"He's not doing anything... maybe I should make sure he's okay."<em>

_I don't think that's necessary.  
>"What'ya me-"<em>

My body lurched forward without warning as I was in the middle of my thought, and my face struck against something hard. I groaned a little to myself as something warm wrapped themselves around my shoulders and held me tight. My head could barely wiggle out so I could look up and see Grimmjow's eyes staring down at me. Then, ever so carefully, one arm slide down to hold around my waist and the other stayed to hold my head in place.

"Don't cry, you make me look like a villain." He whispered softly, but I could only sniffle as a reply to him.

"S-Sorry."

"Geezus, what I'm trying to say is that... you're stronger than this, Light. And no matter what, you're still important to me and Ciel. And most likely all your little friends. Just because you're a little different, doesn't mean you're not a huge impact on us."

"Grimmjow..."

He seemed to grow a little warmer as I looked up towards him, but he refused to say anything else. I smiled into his chest and grabbed the back of his shirt a little tighter, to tell him thanks in my own way. But that made him freak out and push me away towards the bushes near us. I kind of stood there before I broke out into a fit of laughter. He growled something to himself, but a minute later he started laughing as well.

"And hey, if ya ever run into something bad again, Ciel will be right there to stop it. Don't worry, I'll make sure of that."

"Right, thanks Grimm." I laughed out loud, but he merely chuckled and looked out towards space again.

"Hey... Hikari..."

"Yeah?" I asked innocently as I looked back to him, but then I stopped because he seemed so focused on something that wasn't really there.

I got a little worried until he smirked at me and planted his great big hand on top of my head. Then he started to ruffle my hair so much, it got stuck and tangled together. I whined loudly and smacked his hand away before trying to straighten it out. He laughed to himself as I took my time in untangling my hair.

"Nothing, just glad to see ya normal. That's all."

"Ah-ha... of course."

He smiled down at me again as the wind slowly went back to its normal gale. He looked so cool at the time, all heroic like and super studly. I was happy that I knew this Grimmjow and not the one that my dad knew, the blood thirsty guy. Maybe someday I would meet him, but for now, the simple family-style dad was good enough for me.

"Looks like it's time to find Ciel, we have to have our usual man-to-man talks. Ya feel me, Light?"

"Yeah, I feel ya."

He grinned at me again before his body leaned down toward me unexpectedly. Something wet touched my head, which turned out to be him kissing me. I pulled away childishly and groaned, but that only made him laugh and ruffle my hair again.

"Don't get yourself killed now, ya hear me?" Grimmjow said out loud as he turned around on the pathway and went back up.

"I won't Grimm, at least not without a fight!" I retorted back as I quickly sucked in a bit of air when he whipped around to stare at me.

I could still hear the echo of my voice being carried by the wind, which made this moment more different than usual. He turned back to me, revealing his sadistic-type grin and playful eyes. Moments later, he started busting up, letting his electric blue hair fly all over his face as his body shook from laughter. But, even though I wanted to laugh as well, I stood there unfazed by his actions. If there was one thing about Grimm, it was that if you wanted him to take you seriously, you had to be serious yourself. When he brushed away his laughter-based tears, he looked at me with a sincere expression, and calmly smiled again.

"I hope you're right." He told me, and with one last flick of his wrist, he continued his way down the pathway.

As if I was mesmerized, I waited in my spot, never looking away from Grimm's broad back. For awhile, the only recognizable color was his bright blue hair that somehow faded into the orange sky. A proud smile grew on my face a I patted myself on the back for getting that huge thing off my chest. Unconsciously, I started laughing to myself as I headed back home without a second thought.

_Man, that guy is so cool.  
>"Tell me about it, I love him so much."<em>

_Are we forgetting something?  
>"Are we? I think we are..."<em>

_Watch out for those sprinklers, we don't need to go back to the hospital that fast.  
>"Sprinklers...Oh shit!"<em>

_What?_

"Kouhei." I gasped suddenly as I stopped at the street corner about a block away from the park.

I quickly turned around and after bumping into about three other people, I made my way back towards the park. My cheeks were burning hot as I listened to the voice as she laughed all the way.

_Oh man, you're a riot sometimes Light.  
>"Who asked you?"<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, I'm so close into getting caught up with my chapters. I'm writing as fast as I can, so I hope you guys can handle it a little longer please?<br>Thanks ever so much!**


	8. Time to Change

**_So close, yet so far away! I'm almost caught up guys, aren't you even a little excited! I'm sorry if a whole lot doesn't make sense, that's why I'm re-writing this story. I hope you enjoy, thanks for reading._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the series, expect for my characters._**

* * *

><p><em>Ring ring...ring ring...<em>

_"He's not answering..."  
>Maybe it's off.<em>

_"If it was off, then there would be no ring."  
>Oi, calm down. It's going to be okay.<em>

_"He knows that I can't pick up on people that well yet, he's being an ass."  
>Geez, calm down. It's getting on my nerves.<em>

_"Sorry."_

The voice seemed to roll her eyes as I walked through the park, unable to pick up Kouhei's reiatsu anywhere. People were watching me go up and down the same pathway, but I could have cared less what they thought. They watched me angrily smash the end-call button and stuff my phone back into my pocket. Or at least struggle, Yuzu took the liberty of putting band-aids and napkins just in case I needed them without telling me. She did always plan ahead, but it would have been nice if she had told me.

_You think he left?  
>"No, I didn't take that long with Grimmjow...did I?"<em>

_Would've been nice if the boy had told us where to meet him.  
>"Maybe he thought I would find him? He does have a different way of thinking than us."<em>

_Yeah... I guess.  
>"Still haven't figured out who you are yet... have you?"<em>

_Not a clue. You?  
>"Don't look at me, you're the one who's talking to me."<em>

_You're the one who's letting me live in your mind.  
>"Touche."<em>

I sat on a park bench near the playground and rested my head against my knees in frustration. The air was kind of stale for early summer, and the wind was nothing but a small breeze with no affect on anyone. Little kids played happily on the swing sets while their parents gossiped over grown up things. It made me smile, seeing everything go on normal like they should have. That was one thing I liked about the Human World, they could live their lives like nothing was going one even though there were dangerous things out there that could kill them. Sometimes, I thought I could be like them, but then I remembered who I was and who I was related to. Then it was clear that it wasn't possible for me to be...

Human.

The moment was so peaceful, I almost fell asleep then and there. But I jolted up to the sounds of something falling behind me with a yelp. My body threw itself up, but there was no danger near me. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw a little girl slowly rising from the ground. Her big eyes were tearing up, but it was clear she was trying to hold them back. But as she looked down at her scraped knee, she couldn't hold it in any longer and started to cry out loudly.

_Ow! My head! This kid is annoying!  
>"Shut up she's hurt, that's all."<em>

_Make it stop, do something.  
>"Maybe I will!"<em>

_I was kidding._

"Hey, are you alright? Come here, let me see that." I cooed softly to the girl as she allowed me to lift her up and set her on the bench.

She watched me with her big eyes as I pulled out a napkin and started to wipe her knee. When her body flinched away, I quickly set it aside and pulled out a band-aid. Lucky for me, it was one of those already set with Neopsporin so it was okay for her (not like it mattered anyway, I guess Yuzu went fancy on me). Hey eyes watched me place the little band-aid on her knee, and smiled as I threw the trash away.

"Thanks big sister."

"Anytime, just be a little more careful alright?"

"Okay! Wait, are you looking for someone?" She questioned me suddenly with such a serious expression, I couldn't speak properly and mumbled a little.

"Well yeah... actually I am."

"An older boy with a silver necklace?"

_Who in hell is she talking about?  
>"Wait.. I remember something."<em>

_What?  
>"Kouhei! She's talking about Kouhei!"<em>

_What silver necklace?  
>"His new pentacle! He told me the other day his old one finally broke during training. Uryu must've gotten him a new one."<em>

_Well hip-hip-fuck where the hell is the boy?!_

"That's exactly who I'm looking for, do you know where he might be?"

"Yeah! You're the person he was waiting for! But he said something came up, so he had to take care of that. He told me when a pretty girl with big brown eyes and a scratch above her eyebrow came by here, I should point you in his direction."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I'm not a liar!"

"I can see that, which way did he go?"

"He went that way! Towards the huge crater!"

"Oh I see, thank you again."

"No thank you!"

I stuck out my hand towards her, but something caught her attention behind me. When I glanced over, there was nothing there at all. I felt confused until I looked back and she was staring right at my shoulder. The scar was slight exposed, and something like that is not what I would want to see on a girl like me. My hand pulled away, but she snapped out of it and grabbed onto my hand like glue. She shook it up and down a couple of times before she jumped away and sped back towards her friends.

_A pretty girl? With big brown eyes? And a scratch? Very descriptive this boy is...  
>"Oh god, remind me to kick his ass later would ya?"<em>

_Sure, whatever you say. Schmooze pie.  
>"Shut up!"<em>

I couldn't help but grin to myself as we walked over to where she said Kouhei would be. No one was around, but I understood why since we were so close to the crater. The town for some reason never filled it up, and probably never planned to. Ichigo took me here a few times when I was younger just because I was fascinated as a child. Now every time I came here my head would explode from a migraine and think back to the last time I came here. Something happened here that forced me to stay with Karin and Yuzu, but it was painful to remember.

_Ow... do you mind?  
>"Sorry, I know but I wanted to try again...bad idea."<em>

_Very bad idea, let's leave that to when we're desperate._

I sighed heavily and tried to think so something else that wouldn't hurt my head. It ended up to be all the lectures Ichigo would give me about the crater and who made it... the first arrancars like Grimmjow and Ulquiorra (who I wanted to meet so badly because of all the stories). Every time he talked about them, this dark look broadened on his face just thinking about them. Mom would come around and try to wipe it off, but nothing worked.

But by then, I had already met C.J and Grimmjow at school so I couldn't bring myself to tell him anything. After hearing all the stories, it was clear who they were, plus I could easily identify their reiatsu from a mile away. However, it was clear to me that Grimm was not the same man as before. He was always smiling and letting C.J stay with me late at school when Karin or Yuzu were late. They had another boy with them, a much older boy who would come by and play with us...Ulquiorra's son Shinose. He was great, until he left when C.J and I were about seven and Grimmjow disappeared for a long time.

We were left behind again, so all we could do was talk about our families. When middle school came around, that's when we finally told each other about who we really were. That was the first time in a long time I talked about what happened to me.

_We found the crater, where is he?_

"Senpai?" My voice echoed through the crater and into the bushes, but nothing stirred or made a sound.

Everything was quite calm in the area, which slowly gave me the creeps. I started to go back when something caught my attention. It was an old tree covered in graffiti and scratch marks, some that C.J and I made a long time ago. The tree had sentimental value, not just because of the markings, but because my family used to have picnics here sometimes. Takashi and I would train together around here, while mom and Ichigo sat under this tree from the sun. It was I who brought Ciel over the first time, mainly because I wanted to see the crater too. He got all excited and said we should hang over here all the time that summer. But after getting caught by police when we both fell asleep in the afternoon, we gave up and went back to my place.

"Hikari." Someone's voice said right into my ear, their hand gently caressing alongside the nip of my neck.

I quickly slapped my hand against the area and spun around, but no one was there. The wind swooshed all around me like something big was coming, but that was the least of my worries. The leftover reiatsu that lingered in the air was familiar, but nothing like what I've felt in a long time. I was about to call out his name when Kouhei's reiatsu soared out from wherever he was.

_Finally!  
>"Hooray! Kouhei!"<em>

I went over to the tree and walked around the entire trunk, to make sure that he wasn't hiding. After getting attacked by the hollow, my ability to sense where someone was by their reiatsu was a little damaged, due to shock maybe? I could still feel it, but it wasn't like before when I could just tell if someone was here. But I also told myself it was because he was a Quincy and I was a soul reaper, out wave lengths were different, so I shouldn't beat myself up if I couldn't find him.

"Kouhei! Come on Senpai, I can't find you if you don't come out!"

_What an ass.  
>"Now now, it's also because he wants to test me out."<em>

_How do you know...  
>"I kinda was sarcastic, I'm not so sure. That hollow messed up my juju on sensing people. I was the best when I was younger."<em>

_Were you?  
>"Oh yeah, everyone was amazed at how well I could sense someone. Sometimes, if I tried real hard, I could hear what they were-"<em>

My thought was interrupted as something grabbed my arm and pulled me through the bushes again. I sort of freaked out when he pushed me against the ground, my legs rose up and tried to kick him. But his hands grabbed onto my ankles and roughly pushed them away from him, exposing me in the wrong way. I wanted to scream, but I bit against my tongue so nothing could come out the way I wanted it to. My eyes were shut the entire time, so I wildly started to punch the air in front of me out of desperation. I got a few good punches out, but then he grabbed my wrists and bashed his head against mine.

"Stop Hikari! You're gonna kill both of us." He whispered harshly to me as I groaned out loud from the hit to my head.

"S-Senpai?" I whined out as one eye opened to a bloody Kouhei who was starting to fall on my body.

"Oh no! Kouhei!"

"Geez, those were some nice punches." He laughed at me with his infamous crooked smile, but it faded away as we sat up together.

"Hang on, I have some napkins here..."

"Where did those come from?"

"Yuzu put them in my pocket when she brought my clothes for me. Hold still while I fix it." I commanded him as I grasped the side of his face to start wiping his nose.

He complied and stayed still as I carefully brushed some of the blood from his nose away. I would have fixed it like Takashi had done, but I couldn't remember how to do such a thing. His eyes watched my every little movement with an intense fixation of me, it was a little unnerving. When I finally got most of it off, he chuckled out loud and brushed my hair from my face again.

"Sorry about hitting you... and kicking..."

"It's alright, I'm the one who bashed your tender head. You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, everything seems to be okay."

"That's not what I meant."

"What do you mean then?"

"You look a little upset, is something bothering you?" He questioned me so suddenly, I couldn't find the right words to say.

"Oh well... I was wondering... and thinking about stuff."

"Like what?"

"My past, things that I did before the accident. The people I knew that aren't here anymore, particularly one person."

"Who would that be?"

"You don't know him, he was C.J's sort-of-big-brother. I thought I felt his reiatsu but no one was there."

"You too?" He said with a harsh tone, but it quickly went away as his gentle eyes stared at me.

"Never mind that, there's something I wanted to talk about with you."

_Oh brother, here we go.  
>"Not now, I'm trying to focus on Kouhei."<em>

_He's totally going to confess to you, be honest. It's written all over his face.  
>"Didn't we already confess that one night?"<em>

_Maybe he's gonna kiss you now.  
>"Shut up! He's not going to kiss me!"<em>

"Hikari? Are you listening?"

"What?"

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about."

_Oh shit.  
>"Uh-oh."<em>

"W-What on earth are you talking about Senpai? You're not making sense." My voice came out shaky and weak, but it went away all as he brought his eyebrows close.

"Is there something you're not telling me, Hikari?"

"Um... well... no."

"You're lying." He said right on the spot, making it harder to keep my composure around him.

_Keep it together man, we're gonna get busted.  
>"Just be quiet! If you don't talk, then it won't look like I'm doing something."<em>

_It's a little hard when your emotions go all crazy, I'm trying to help you out!  
>"Well you're doing a fabulous job right now-"<em>

"Hikari."

"Ah!" My voice came out in a squeak as he grabbed onto my arms and shook me a little to focus.

"I'm just a little worried, since at the hospital it looked like your eyes changed colors for a second."

"My... eyes?"

"They were sky blue, but only for a split second. Tell me what's happening."

"I-I don't want to, not yet Senpai. I'm still trying to figure it out."

"But what if I can help, don't keep this to yourself."

"I'm not! But it's a personal problem Senpai, and I wish you could respect that."

"Hikari..." He practically begged me with his big eyes looking like they were ready to cry at any time.

"...It's just... I've been hearing this voice in my head for a while now."

_What are you doing! Stop! He's going to think we're going crazy!_

"A voice? Like... your _zanbaktou_ spirit?"

"Well, that's the thing. I don't know who or what she is. And neither does she, so we're sort of winging it as we go."

"Who else could she be?"

"I don't know, there's no indication that she is my_ zanbaktou_ spirit. Plus if she was, then it would be a lot harder to hear her voice. Like right now, she's yelling at me and calling me bad names..."

_You idiot! I'm not even being that mean!  
>"Sorry, but if I play you the villain for right now, maybe it'll be a lot easier to explain."<em>

_I hope you're right.  
>"Thanks."<em>

"Hikari... why didn't you tell any of us?"

"Well, I was kinda embarrassed about the whole not-being-able-to-fight-and-now-I'm-in-a-hospital thing. I didn't want anyone to know about it yet, I thought I could figure it out by myself."

"Hikari, you know we don't mind if weird things happen to you. We're all trying to help you out."

"I'm not a little kid anymore Senpai, I can handle things on my own."

"Can you?" He said out loud, but not in a bad way more like a suggestive way to get me to think about it.

"Can you really?"

My eyes looked down towards my hands in a apathetic sort of way. Could I really figure this out on my own? No way, not in a million years. This was too much, first my family comes and goes, then I start hearing this voice ever since Takashi fixed my nose for...he fixed my nose.

"Oh holy cow, I think I know why I started hearing her."

"What is it?"

"That day, when Takashi stopped by... I fell off my bed and broke my nose."

"You what?!"

"Calm down, it was because I fell at a weird angle. Anyway, he decided to fix it for me-"

"Soul reapers can do that?" He interrupted me, his eyes looked incredulous towards me and then the sky.

"We have a special power, it's called _Kido. _There are a bunch of ways to use it, they're spells soul reapers use when they go to the Shinigami Academy. One way is healing, it's called _Kaido."_

"You remember all of this from ten years ago?!"

"I learned this stuff when I was five, you wanna know the history of the Gotei 13? I can tell you that in a heart beat."

"Wow..."

"Everyone was amazed too, but I just found it interesting when I was little. Wish I could be like now in school."

"Back to right now, what about _Kaido... _what did Takashi do to you?"

"Well first, when using _Kaido, _you perform reiatsu restoration first. By doing this, you can recover the physical body using the patient's (that's me) restored reiatsu and the healer's external reiatsu. That way there aren't any problems with the patient's reiatsu later."

"Okay... that doesn't really explain much to me."

"I mean when I had the accident, no one thought of restoring my reiatsu to it's normal power. That's why it was hard for me to sense anything or anyone when I was younger, since so much was gone."

"And now?"

"It's at its full capacity. I mean it was getting there slowly since I was around you guys all the time, but now that it's normal again... it's hard to get used to it. It also explains why the hollow attacked me, because it was so much that I couldn't contain it all like before."

"And that's when you started hearing the voice?"

"Yeah, that's when I started to hear her voice."

"Now it makes a bit more sense." He growled to himself as he stood up, and started pacing back and forth around me.

"Hey Kouhei, you alright?"

"Fine."

"Hey, what's wrong Senpai?" I asked him as I stood up and grabbed onto his shirt, but he pulled back as something wet hit both of us.

"Ow!"

"What the heck-oh great!" He roared into the air, smacking the water out of anger and frustration.

The sprinklers went off again while we were standing there, which was not what I expected. I covered my face and tried to make my way out from the bushes, but Kouhei grabbed onto my wrist. My hand reflexively pulled back, but his grip was too tight to fight. He looked upset yet determined about something, and it scared me.

"Kouhei! Let me go, I don't want to get any more-"

"I've been a very patient man, and I'm not letting you slip through me again." He said dramatically as we fell back into the soft mud and grass.

_Oh holy shit, what is he going to do?  
>"I have no idea, but he's kinda scaring me."<em>

_Me too._

I closed my eyes out of fright, and waited to see what kind of thing he would do to me. But as I froze, he stopped midway and stared at me (I could feel him staring). My hands pushed up against his chest, but he was barely budging. Something warm touched my cheek and made me flinch unintentionally. I finally opened one eye and looked up to Kouhei, who was still quiet as a mouse. The water rolled down his face in all the perfect angles, exposing his hazel eyes even better than the first time I saw them. It took my breath away, and both my eyes finally gazed upon him.

"Wow..."

He smiled to himself as he leaned his head against my forehead for a second, still watching me with his eyes. My hands ran through his hair so I could see his face even better, which made him laugh a little. He cupped my cheek in his hand and then forcefully kissed me with all his might. I sucked in a bit of air right before, so it was stuck in the back of my throat for the longest time. My hands grasped a bit of his hair out of shock, but he seemed to like it.

Long ago the water stopped pelting us, but we were too busy kissing to even notice. My heart pounded loudly against my chest, and judging by how much he was squeezing onto my wrist, so was his. After a minute he pulled away first, and just bore into my eyes for what felt like hours. Then his expression changed and he practically jumped away from me. I coughed a little as I shakily got up from the mud, and wiped a bit out from my hair.

"Senpai?"

He sighed deeply to himself and shifted his body away, a sure sign that something went wrong. I started to panic deep inside myself, this shouldn't have gone the way it was now. What had I done wrong? I did everything normal right? We kissed, and now he's bothered by something that he won't explain to me. Was it me?

_What the hell? Let me at him, I'm ready to kill this boy!  
>"Easy these, let's not get hasty."<em>

_This is a total hit-and-run moment right now. See look! He's running away!_

And sure enough, as she told me that, he stood up and looked like he was ready to leave. I jumped from the ground and wrapped my arm around his to keep him in place. He stopped, but everything about him seemed wrong and different. Chills went up along my spine as we dripped off the mud and water from the sprinklers.

"D-did I do something wrong?"

"No, you did nothing wrong."

"Then, what is it-"

"It's me! It's always going to be me!" He spat out angrily as he tried to rip his arm from my grasp without warning.

"What's wrong? Are you running away?"

"I'm not running away, I just need to think."

"You can think here, don't do this to me Kouhei."

"Then what am i supposed to do then!"

"Not run away!"

"I'm not running away!"

"Yes you are! Just like everyone else!"

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"No I'm not!" He shouted at me as he thrusted his arm up and against my chin, sending me back to the floor.

My back skidded against the mud and there was a searing pain under my chin. He stopped breathing entirely and tried to help me up. But I smacked his cheek which sent him into the bushes to the side. Wind howled all around us as I angrily cried into my knees, ignoring his pleas of forgiveness.

"Just go away!"

"Hikari, I'm sorry! Please, I'm not mad at you or anything like that!"

"Then why are you running away from me?"

"I'm not running away, please listen to me."

"That's what they all said, they said they would treat me like normal. I heard them, but no... instead of dealing with it and me... they sent me away and expected me not to be who I was. I almost turned that way, and you know what kept me alive? My hope to see them one day if they ever came back and you guys!"

"Us... guys?"

"You, C.J and Miyu! Without you guys, I might have lost all my shinigami powers but I didn't. Because you all surrounded me with your reiatsu, and showed off enormous abilities. So I prayed and trained every night for almost seven years now so I could help you out one day even if it killed me!"

"Why would you do such a thing... how could you even train?"

"Easy, I did a lot of kendo when I was younger in my free time (and a bit of _Zanjustu _but that's for another time). Then I practiced a style of fighting called _Hakuda _in the forest so no one could get hurt. I built up most of my lost reiryoku doing such things close to home... but it was never enough. Not until Takashi restored my reiatsu, now everything seems back to normal."

"How can you tell?"

"I don't know, maybe it's the voice in my head? Why else would she be talking to me now that I've got most of my powers back?"

"...I don't know."

"Yeah well... join the club. And stay, please just don't leave me alone anymore..."

"Okay..." He said at last, holding me in his arms again just like last time, only now things were a bit different.

"Okay... I won't leave you alone. Remember you're the one who wanted me here."

"I know... and I can live with that."

He squeezed me a little harder and raised my chin up so he could inspect it. I cringed as as lightly grazed his finger against it, but only because it tickled. Kouhei pulled away, but I grabbed onto his hand and held it tightly. His eyes glanced down at me, and he smiled his crooked smile as I looked up to him. We kind of laughed together before I lightly brushed my lips against his without warning. He froze in his spot, but then he purred from the back of his throat and kissed me again with a little more force.

"Too cute... just too cute..." He mumbled under his breath as I laughed into his face before burying my head into his chest.

_You sure this is okay? He's a Quincy you know?  
>"I know, there's nothing wrong with me for falling for a Quincy. Apparently my grandmother was one."<em>

_Who said that?  
>"Grandpa, the first time we went to the cemetery. He told me a lot about her, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. Technically speaking, I have a quarter of Quincy power in me... I think that's how it works."<em>

_What else you got in you?  
>"Some Human, mostly soul, and a tiny bit of Quincy."<em>

_You're just a big melting pot aren't you?  
>"Yup, apparently so."<em>

Kouhei's eyes got all wide, but that was probably because I wasn't doing anything. When I glanced back up to him, he seemed normal and just kissed my cheek. I was about to laugh when something else laughed behind me. It was clear who it was, they weren't even trying to hide their reiryoku as they peeped at us. I refused to move, but Kouhei slipped his fingers in my grasped and dragged me from the bushes. Sure enough, Miyu, C.J and Grimmjow were standing there smiling with dark looks in their eyes.

"How much did you guys hear?"

"From when you asked Kouhei not to leave you."

"And all they stuff you did to be normal."

"I don't really have to explain myself do I?"

"Ya can explain to them about the voice in yer head. They didn't hear that part."

"Great, thanks Grimmjow you pervert."

"Anytime Light, aren't ya gonna introduce me to your boy here? Didn't know you liked older boys... just like yer dad." Grimmjow teased me as Kouhei squeezed my hand out of fright and embarrassment.

"Right... Kouhei this is Grimmjow Jagerjaque. Ciel's father."

"Grimmjow...Jagerjaque huh?"

"At yer service."

"Wait, did you just say Ciel?"

"That's what the C in C.J stands for... Ciel Jagerjaque. Get it?" I said to him as his eyes grew wide with understanding.

"How original... but it makes a lot of sense."

"Of course it does! It's when they were just tiny babes in preschool, isn't that right Ciel?!" Grimmjow laughed unexpectedly as he patted C.J's back hard.

"Right old man!" He laughed back to his dad while his arm slipped over his shoulders, allowing them to sway side-to-side together.

The father-and-son scene was too good to be true, it was a moment where I wished I had a camera. Poor Miyu looked so tired from laughing too hard, but I was just getting started. Even Kouhei had to laugh, these guys were like peas in a pod.

"Wow... they really are father and son aren't they?"

"Took ya long enough, what gave it away?"

"Their hair."

"Obviously... what else?"

"Their psychotic grins."

This got both of them to stop and stare down one another to see if it was true. After a second of awkward staring, they both suddenly smiled their psychotic grins and laughed even harder. We all started laughing, especially when they pushed each other away so they wouldn't fall over. During that time, Kouhei slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to himself despite Grimmjow's stare. I bit my lip and tried to focus my attention on other things than Grimm's disapproving look.

"Glad everything is better between us."

"Me too...Hikari."


	9. Storm's A Brewing

I hate to admit it, but Kouhei was the best boyfriend I ever had _(not like I had the chance to date people, Grandpa wouldn't let any guy go past the door)_. When I brought him home to re-meet Karin and Yuzu, they were all happy and smiled so brightly at him. Grandpa just happened to come by, and saw everything. I thought he was going to explode, but one look at Kouhei and he just smiled and shook his hand.

I was awe-struck, Grandpa never was that nice to anyone he just first me. He was certaintly never that nice to Ciel when I brought him home for the first time in middle school. But maybe that's because we got hurt together and he blamed him for it... oh well, that's for another time.

After it got dark, Senpai had to leave and gave me one last kiss before he stepped outside. It tasted sort of sweet, which made me smile as he chuckled to himself. I waved him off, and almost made it inside, but someone stopped me. Right on cue, C.J appeared with a night bag and his iPod with his favorite music on it. I ushered him in as Karin passed by with a plate full of chocolate pudding and a wafer. He happily took it and ate with us as we discussed out day together with my aunts. It was normal for him to come over on the days when Grimmjow was here, that way he could complain over the craziness of his father with me.

"He's doing it again, I swear he's doing it." C.J ranted on and on about his dad as we made our way to my room, Karin and Yuzu's voices slowly fading away.

"Doing what Ciel? Is he making the world end again?"

"No, and that's not even funny anymore. It's getting kind of old."

"Touchy touchy, you alright?" I asked him, but that only made him question himself as he paced back and forth around my room.

"No, not exactly. It was so hard to take Miyu home, but I would never let her stay alone with my old man! That's just madness!"

"Why? Is she already infatuated with him? That's a new record." I laughed as I rolled around in my bed as he continued to sulk to himself.

"Hiiika...what am I going to do?"

"Oh Ciel, don't fret too-Ciel get in the room you moron!" I gasped out loud as I looked up to see him walking outside my window on thin air.

"Huh?"

"Don't huh me! Stop walking on reishi and get inside!"

He stared at me with confusion when I grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him in through the window. It snapped shut as his body flew on top of mine and dragged me to the floor in a painful heap of bodies. We bashed heads against one another, our voices intermingling in a groan-like moan. Karin knocked on our door, but didn't step inside, she just wanted to tell us we were being loud.

"S-Sorry Karin..." I angrily whined out, which made her laugh and walk back down the hallway towards her room.

"Sorry... force of habit."

"I know C.J, I know." I laughed towards him as my head leaned against the floor while his rested against my bad shoulder.

"You alright? Didn't break you or anything did I?"

"No, but I think you're squishing my chest."

His gray eyes glanced down at my chest and then back up at me, a puppy-dog look growing in his eyes. He smirked a little as he got up off me and reached under to help me back to the bed. My head was shaking the entire time until we sat on the edge and then he suddenly wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I was a little surprised he would still be holding onto me even though he and Miyu had been going out for quite some time. But I missed his warmth, so I didn't bug him about my thoughts.

"Okay, now that we're okay... what's this about Grimmjow infatuating Miyu already?"

"Oh, it's just that she's fallen for his old tricks again. All the women he encounters automatically fall for him... she just got hit harder."

"I don't think I fell in love with Grimm... did I?"

"When we were younger, yes. Now you treat him like an uncle or something."

"I did?"

"Hika, you were so obvious yet cute he didn't want to hurt you."

"Shut up! I'm not cute!"

He laughed his slightly annoying laugh and buried his head into my neck, tickling me with his breath for a second. I tried to push him away, but he stopped and wrapped his arms around my waist and knocked me over. I laid my head against a pillow as he scooted down so his rested against my stomach. My hands started to play with his hair while he whistled loudly to himself as the moon shone through the window.

"Ciel, you know Miyu's not gonna fall for Grimm that hard."

"But she already has, and he knows it. I betcha one of these days he'll take her away."

"Gross... he's not a lolicon, C.J. Why would you say that?"

"Because that's how he is! He almost wanted to take you away-"

"Shut up, I don't want to hear anymore." I said quietly as I smacked the side of his head with my hand, to my displeasure.

"Ow! I'm just saying..."

"Ciel, you don't have to worry about anything. Miyu won't ever leave you, trust me... a girl knows these things."

"Y-You really mean it?"

"Of course I do, why would I lie to you? Unless it was for fun..."

"Hika..."

"I'm kidding, just messing with your overly-worried brain. Everyone falls for his aura, but there are a few who actually fall for the real Grimm. Miyu's just in love with his aura, not him."

"I never thought of it like that."

"Trust me Ciel, that's why I'm here for you." I yawned a little into the pillow as my eyes closed for a second too long.

"Yeah, that's right..." He muttered to himself as he scooted back up and held my head in his arms, the heat exerted from him too much to ignore.

"Wow, it's too warm..."

"Just go to sleep crazy lady, it's been a long day."

"I'll tell you everything tomorrow okay?"

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise."

"I love you best friend..." He yawned into my hair as he squeezed me a little tighter in his arms.

"Yeah, love you too bestie..." I yawned back as my heart thumped a little louder that I expected, making my hands grasp his shirt a little more.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I awoke on the floor with a major headache and sore elbow, with the blanket draped over my torso. My body slowly got up from the floor as my head pounded and pounded loudly at me. The sun wasn't peeking through the window, it looked like Karin or Yuzu put back my curtains before the sun came up. I glanced over to the bed and saw C.J curled up like a cat with one of my body pillows, his hair wildly sticking to his face.<p>

_Geez, what a big lug. Knocking us off the bed in the middle of the night...  
>"I'm used to it, one time he knocked me on the side against the wall. Lost all blood flow to my legs."<em>

_Sounds painful, what do ya wanna do now?  
>"Let's go see Masaki, I kinda want to tell her about what happened."<em>

_Sounds good to me, should we wake up the sleepy kitty?  
>"No, he'll just smack us and go back to sleep. Better to leave him alone and go. I'll text him later to see where he's at."<em>

_Bring a jacket, it looks like rain's coming._

Sure enough, when I opened a sliver of the curtain away, there were dark clouds looming over the town. But when the window snapped open, the wind was cold and harsh, like winter time. I pulled away and closed it right, shivering just from the small breeze. C.J grumbled to himself about it being cold, so I draped the blanket back on him and quickly got dressed. The necklace was practically calling my name, so I took that too and raced down the stairs.

"Where's C.J?" Yuzu asked me as I walked into the kitchen, her favorite coffee mug in her hands.

"Sleeping like a baby, no deliveries today?"

"Karin's taking care of them, it got really cold of a sudden. We closed a little early today."

"What time is it?"

"Around one-thirty in the afternoon." She sighed to herself as she got up to put her mug in the dishwasher.

"Oh geez, we slept in late. Why didn't you guys wake us up?" I asked suddenly, but she only smiled and shook her finger at me.

"Well, it's been awhile since C.J slept over with you. We figured you guys were tired, so we let you sleep in. How's your shoulder?"

"Better, a little sore but nothing to worry about. Since I have a little time, mind if I go see Masaki real quick?"

"Sure, take these for me please?" She said as she walked over to the shop and returned with a bouquet of tulips. "I've been meaning to go, but we've been so busy."

"Of course auntie, no problem. I'll be back later."

"Okay, be careful sweetie."

"Love you auntie, bai."

"Love you too."

I quickly grabbed an apple on the way out and carefully shut the door behind me. The wind was so cold it stung my cheeks as I walked over to the cemetery again. Barely anyone was around because of the sudden drop in temperature, which was freaky if you asked me. It was supposed to be summer, and all of a sudden there are dark clouds and cold wind stinging your face. Something was up, but it wasn't like I could figure it out in my condition.

_Boy, freaky weather huh?  
>"You can say that again. Wonder what's going on..."<em>

_Maybe it's a sign.  
>"To move to Hawaii?"<em>

_Hikari.  
>"Sorry, I know it's a bit freaky, but we shouldn't freak out every time there's a cold spell."<em>

_It's summer. Yesterday it was about ninety-five degrees outside. Now it's barely sixty or less!  
>"True... okay you have a point. But what can I do about it? I know it's not me this time, I've been holding back since this morning."<em>

_I know... it's something else. Something much more powerful...  
>"I'm a little worried."<em>

_Me too. Hey, look sharp, we made it._

I snapped out of it before I tripped over someone's grave, the rain coming down on us. I groaned as it soaked through the light cardigan I wore and shirt. My body shifted towards the trees and I decided to wait it out a minute to see if it would lighten up. Everything slowly was covered with a light mist when the rain let up at last. I came out from under the tree and shook most of the water out of my hair, the tulips drooped over the side of the bag.

"Oh no... my flowers..." I mumbled to myself as I rested them against Masaki's grave, and used a small leaf to cover them.

_"Stupid rain."  
>What's the matter? Not like the rain?<em>

_"I love the rain, but not when I'm soaked."_

My voice laughed to herself as I crouched down and faced towards my grandma to start telling her about what happened. I started from when I got attacked by the hollow, then went from the hospital with my friends to Takashi and everyone else showing up. I told her about how I cried twice to Kouhei, laughing a little to myself because of Grimmjow and C.J. Then it was C.J worrying about nothing and then about Karin, which made me a little sad.

"Grandma... should I have told her about what happened? I mean, what really happened... There's not evidence to show that she would understand, but it feels wrong to keep it away from her you know?"

Rain started to fall on me again, but this time I couldn't move under the tree for protection. I felt tears stream down my face, but there was no energy in me to wipe them away. I stood there for a minute before my voice started scolding me about getting sick and stuff. So finally, my legs took me back to the tree where we waited for another twenty minutes before the rain let up. During the entire time though, I was silently bawling to myself just thinking about the pain I brought to my aunts and friends.

_"Ugh, I think I'm going to take a nap when I get home..."_

She sighed to herself but didn't say anything as I got up and stretched for a second. Then as I made my way down towards the park again, something sparked inside of me. It felt like someone was right behind me, but I couldn't bring myself into turning around. My hands were balled up into fists when someone wrapped their arms around my neck and held me close. Their warmth trickled through my soaked clothes, with their head leaned against my hair.

"Hika-Chan... come play with me. You know you wanna." His voice whispered into my ear as one hand slide underneath my neck.

"N-No... you can't... how did you..."

"Come on Light, don't be such a goody-two-shoes."

_Light? Who is this guy? I thought only Ciel and Grimm called you Light... well, besides your folk too.  
>"They are, except for one guy."<em>

_Who?_

"Shinose?" My voice cracked as I spun in my spot, but no one was holding onto me anymore.

_Shinose? Who the hell is Shinose?  
>"My... friend... Ciel's older brother-figure."<em>

"Shinose!"

There was laughter and a sudden woosh from behind, but no one said anything else. I started to panic, it had been almost eight years since the last time I saw him, and there was no reason for him to just reappear. When more laughter came close to me, I freaked out and sped down the pathway away from their. I should have been more careful, obviously it had been rainy so the pathway would be slippery. As I touched the last part, my foot skidded forward and I pretty much skated against the floor until I almost hit a group of older guys who miraculously grabbed onto me and made me stop.

"Whoa there little lady, where's the fire?" One of them asked me as I breathed heavily into my soaked sleeve.

"No where, I'm sorry. I just slipped and skated... I'm sorry."

"No worries _chica_, you alright? You're soaked through your clothes."

"Rain... I just got caught in the rain."

"Wanna dry off with us?"

_Uh oh, abort. I repeat, abort now.  
>"Okay."<em>

"No! No I'm totally fine, and oh look at the time I really must be getting back to my boyfriend."

"Aw, don't be that way cutie-pie. No one's gonna hurt you."

"That's not what I'm-"

"Hikari there you are!" A familiar voice said as his hands reached under me and lifted me high into the air.

"I told you to wait under the tree! Girls... they're just so crazy sometimes."

"T-Taka...shi?"

His violet eyes winked at me as he turned back to the group of guys who started to fidget in their spots. The one that grabbed me nodded and with a flick of his wrist told everyone to get moving. Once they were out of ear-shot, Takashi turned me around and squeezed the life out of me for a moment. When I registered to hug him back, he laughed a little and held onto my hand until I looked up to him. He looked tired and beaten, like he had been up all night for a couple of days over something important.

"Hey Hikari, what's going on? Did I interrupt something?"

"No! I was over at grandma's grave, and when I came back down I slipped. But they caught me before I fell. Then it got weird."

"Same old Hikari, good thing I popped by to say hi."

"And to check on me to make sure I was alive still?"

"Aw, you're no fun if you start with the serious stuff. Why are you soaked?" He questioned me, but I pulled away and headed over to a dry spot where we could sit.

"Hikari!"

I laughed out loud as I started to jump in some puddles along the way, since I was already wet to my bones. He groaned out loud and followed me to where I was, skipping over the puddles I hit along the way. Once we made it, I sat down first with him right behind me, a small smile on his face. I laughed again and rested my head against his shoulder despite the fact my hair would soak through his jacket. But he only chuckled again and draped his arm around my shoulder, with his eyes set on the necklace.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Toshiro gave it to me... a long time ago." I said as my hand reflexively reached up and held it close to my chest.

He nodded and decided to forget about it, he probably thought I would explode with tears in a second. I smiled and let the wind blow past us, the atmosphere more comforting than tense. After a few minutes of silence, he groaned to himself and sat upright, letting my head bob to the side. I would have complained, but his eyes were staring right at me when I looked up towards him.

"Hikari, I think we need to talk."

"About what brother?"

"About... let me just ask you this. Are you happy here?"

"Happy?"

"I mean here, all these years away from home. Were you happy? Are you okay with staying here?"

"Well, not at first. I kinda hated it after the first few weeks. Then, after a few years I learned to live with it. These past few days, I guess I'm a little happy, better than before. I sort of have a purpose, but it can never beat home... nothing can."

"Would you want to go back?"

"Yes, but not right now..."

"Not right now... why?" He asked me harshly, but I lightly tapped his forehead to make him stop for a second.

"Think about it brother... I'm sixteen years old, I'll be a junior in high school soon, and I work at Karin and Yuzu's shop for some extra money. I can't just leave in the middle of everything, I'd like to finish school here with my friends and let... Karin and Yuzu know as well..."

"I understand, it'll be a huge thing for everyone huh?"

"Yeah, especially for Karin and Yuzu. They've been taking care of me for so long, if I just go and decide to leave, it'll leave a huge bad mark."

"I get it, I get it..." He sighed understandingly at me, but pinched the rim of his nose like he was stressed out.

"Are you... disappointed with me?"

"No, no I'm actually a bit glad you're not so... depressed like I thought you would be."

"You'd want the nine-year old me Takashi, those were the worst years."

He smiled and nodded to me, but there was no way to hide the pain he felt right then and there. Obviously he was worried about me all these years, but as I got older it was easier to hide the pain. When I got more friends and started doing things like normal people, the pain I felt slowly faded away. But at the Soul Society, there probably wasn't much to do to hide the pain, it was a routine life over there. But at that moment, I also felt very jealous and angry at him and everyone else. He would have to wait at least two to three more years (given that I went to college or something) and then I would be able to return home. I had to wait ten years to be given even the slightest chance of going back home.

"I know you're probably thinking I'm being very jealous right now Hikari, but I have my reasons. I just don't want you to get hurt here anymore-"

"If you're talking about the hollow, my friends know my situation and practically watch over me like a hawk. They're trying to protect me too brother..."

"How did you know I knew about the hollow?"

"I figured Ichi- I mean dad told you." I lied easily to him, but he seemed suspicious as I looked to the side.

"Oh really?"

"Okay I lied, the tooth fairy told me the other night."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why would I lie to you Takashi?" I looked up to him with my big brown eyes and stared at him until he smiled.

"No... I guess you wouldn't-Oh look!"

"What?!"

"There's a flying pig on your face!" He laughed as his hands came out from the sides and squished my cheeks together.

I screamed out loud and tried to push his hands away, but he was too strong and continued to squish my cheeks until I laughed. Then, he finally let go and rested his head against mine, his breath tickled against my cheek. I reached up and held onto his neck, and pushed a little harder against his head. It had been a long time since we did that, ever since Ichigo told us about the first time he met mom. Whenever we got the chance, we would go around to all the captains and use that to them, to their displeasure. Ichigo loved it, but Rukia would get mad and try to stop us herself. Takashi would then pick me up and run away until it was dark and everyone forgot about it.

"Oh I missed that so much..."

"Me too brother... me too."

"Say Hikari, there's something else I gotta ask you."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do... do you have a boyfriend?"

I bit my lip hard and felt a blush rise up from my neck all the way to my ears, how could I answer my brother? He saw me change colors and immediatly looked down towards his hands, a blush rising on his face. But he shook his head and took a deep breath as he stared back up at me. I wanted to run and hide, but he firmly grasped onto my arm before I shifted away.

"You do, don't you?"

_Are you gonna tell him it's the Quincy?  
>"Does it look like I have any other choice?"<em>

_Can't you tell him it's C.J?  
>"Would you want to tell your brother you're dating an arrancar? The son of your father's enemy?"<em>

_Oooh, you're right. Better stick with the Quincy.  
>"Thanks...thanks ever so much for your input."<em>

"If I say yes? What would you do?"

"Well, I would kinda freak out first, since my little sister's not so innocent anymore-"

"Shut up!"

"I'm serious Hikari, it's strange to see you like this and not a little kid anymore okay?!" He scolded me, but turned away before I could ask him anything else.

"Who is it?"

"Why do I have to tell you that? You already know I have one, besides, you won't like it."

"Come on Hika, just tell me and I won't bug you anymore."

"No, go away you pervert."

"Hikari..."

"No."

"Don't make me count backwards from three."

"Go right ahead, see what I care."

"One..."

"I'm not going to say anything to you brother..."

"Two..."

"Nope...nothing at all."

"Two and a half..."

_What's with the strange atmosphere? Something's coming...  
>"Should I just tell him?"<em>

_What's he gonna do? Take you away?  
>"I don't know, but he's almost at three."<em>

_Might as well, better you to tell him than someone else.  
>"Ugh, I guess you're right."<em>

"Thre-"

"It's Kouhei." I interrupted him, as I rolled my eyes and bashed my head against my hands for a moment.

"Kouhei?"

"Kouhei Ishida... the Quincy alright? It was hard for me to say, not because I'm ashamed, but because of what you would think." I started to say as I stood up and paced back and forth in the light drizzle.

"I know what Ichigo told us, about Uryu and stuff. But you know, I could care less about what happened all those years ago. Kouhei is a lot like his father I have to admit, but there are times where he's not. He actually cares about me and doesn't mind that I'm a soul reaper... or should be at least. So if you don't like it, then I guess we'll have to-"

"Have you guys... kissed yet?"

My voice stopped, the tone of his question was too innocent and naive to ignore and answer. As I glanced over to him, he was shuffling awkwardly to himself as he looked at me. First, the giggles came, then the small short chuckles, and then after a minute I was on the floor holding onto my sides. He was cursing at me, but I was too busy with laughing to acknowledge him. After a little while, he grasped my shoulder and sat me on his lap so I could get out of the rain. I rested my head against his chest for a second before I looked back up to him and smiled.

"Oh how I miss you, brother. What do you think of your not-so-innocent-little sister?"

"I think... you've learn a lot over the years without us. And that... even if you go back, you won't be able to learn anything."

"Can we... keep the whole boyfriend thing a secret? Just for a little while?"

"As you wish."

"And maybe... can you, Toshiro and Rani sneak out more often? Now that I've seen you, I'll want to see you more."

"We'll tr-no. You know what, I'll make sure that we-"

He never finished his sentence, because as soon as he tried, there was a thundering clash behind us. The dark clouds grew even darker, the sky looked like it was supposed to be nighttime. Rain practically pelted against us even though we were well-protected by the tree. His eyes grew wide as the familar reiasu filled the air, the grip on my arm tight out of anxiety. I knew it was familiar, because it had always been beside me ever since I was a little girl.

"Arrancar."

Lightning flashed as the word slipped easily from my lips, illuminating the world around us for a millisecond. He shivered a little as I grasped the sides of his sleeves, and tried to hold him in place. When he glanced down at me, it looked like he completely forgot I was even there. His warmth disappeared from my hands as he moved my hands and raced towards the sudden sure of reiatsu. I sat there dumbfounded for a moment in the rain, everything around me slowly engulfed itself in darkness.

_Whatya think you're doing? Go after him!  
>"I-I can't... I'll just get in the way..."<em>

_But he'll get himself killed! They all will!  
>All of them? What do you mean all of them?<em>

_Your friends! Can't you sense them? They're right over there where the arrancars are!  
>"No they're-"<em>

And just like that, for like the fifth time, my ignorance was shattered into a million pieces. One by one, their energy was surging out like wild flames against the huge wildfire. I crumbled to the floor and held onto my stomach so nothing could come out. They were fighting, all of them were fighting and only one had actual experience in it at all. The other two were humans, and Takashi barely managed the first time a long time ago.

"Ow..." I cried a little as my head throbbed, but my voice would not have it at that moment.

_Let's go! Come on Hikari! You're not weak!_

"R-Right! Let's go!"

She seemed to smile as I got up from the ground and ran towards the affected area. Lucky for me Takashi wasn't a fast runner, so I easily caught up with him. That made him angry though, you could see it from a mile away as I ran beside him. He didn't say anything though, I think he was trying to convince himself that I wasn't there. But as we got closer, his face turned red as he looked over to me.

"Go home!" He angrily spat out as we slowly came to a trot, but I kept following him.

"Make me." I said back as I stopped to hold my ground with my hands on my hips to show I wasn't kidding.

He stopped and cringed a little, my expression might have been a little too fierce for him. I knew he was going to object, but there was no way I could just stay away and let my friends die. His face was twisted with anger as he pulled out a small badge from his coat pocket. The next thing I knew, he had it against his chest and poof! out comes the soul reaper brother I was used to. His hakama fit him so snugly and well that I was slightly mesmerized by it for a second. The word out division badge he wore around his right arm caught my attention for only a second as he started to move. He carefully relocated his gigai to the side as he quickly grasped onto my arm.

"B-Brother?"

"Bakudo Number One: Sai!"

"Shit no Taka-" I gasped as my arms twisted to my back and I fell face first into the mud within a moment of him releasing me.

"Not fair Takashi! Not fair! Let me go right now!"

"I can't have you distracting me Hikari, no one can. It's a lot safer if you stay here."

"I'd be a lot more comfortable if my arms weren't bound. Come on Takashi, let me go!"

"Sorry Hika, I'll be back."

"Takashi!" I angrily spat out, but he already jumped over the bushes and left me alone.

_Wow, didn't see that coming.  
>"I did, but his grip was really tight. Man, did he get stronger..."<em>

I groaned out of anger and tried in vain to pull my arms away to little avail. The sounds of swords clashing were pretty much drowned out from the heavy rainfall. They must have found a way to bend the weather to their favor, which seemed unlikely at first. There was a small opening for me to see what was going on. Of course it took me a couple of minutes to get over there, moving when bound by a _kido _spell was rather breath-taking.

"Oh bloody hell."

And it was, an indescribable bloody hell on earth that never seemed to want to leave my head. Kouhei and Miyu together couldn't seem to hold against even one arrancar. Both of them looked like they were sucked into a tornado, but it might have been because of the rain. Takashi seemed to be winning against his opponent, but still had a little trouble. But then, all I could focus on was Ciel and his fight, the fight I had been waiting for.

His bright blue hair seemed even lighter in the rain as he danced around with his adversary, almost like they were taunting each other. Ciel was short of breath, blood dripping down his face from the slice against his cheek. But he was not even close to being tired, no, he was much stronger than that. His black hair was slicked back to keep from his face, a taunting smile forever frozen as he stared down C.J. His bright green eyes could be seen perfectly from where I was as he laughed haughtily toward the younger boy.

"What's the matter Ciel? Where's Hikari? I barely got to see her, but she's grown so much since I last saw her! Do you think she'll come out to see you and your little friends-"

"You keep her out of this!" Ciel rebuked him harshly as he swung his sword against his chest, to his surprise.

"This is only me and you right now, Shinose. Hikari has nothing to do with it!"

Shinose only smiled at him as they continued their battle, totally unaware of everyone else around them. But I saw, I saw everything that was going on right then and there. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to block out the sounds of their fights. But it kept coming and coming, just like the man-

_Hey focus! Don't do this to me Hikari! Keep it together!_

I coughed into the ground as I tried to get up on my knees so it would be easier to break the spell. But I stopped when I heard the bone-chilling scream that could only come from Takashi. His reiatsu waved incredibly as he was struck against the chest by the arrancar. But he stood his ground and sliced against the arrancar with what he had left... but it wasn't enough. The arrancar just shook his head and punched him right in the gut, and sent him flying into the bushes.

_Hikari... calm down Hikari ...don't freak out.  
>"Takashi... no... Takashi.."<em>

_Hikari no!_

"TAKASHI!" I screamed so loud into the air, it made everyone stop for a second to try and guess where it came from.

My body slammed against the floor out of exhaustion from the scream, but that didn't stop me from trying to get to Takashi. I thrashed and thrashed against the floor, using the little strength I had still in me to try and break the spell again. But no matter how hard I tried, nothing worked so I lied against the floor for a second. Anger ran through my veins as I sobbed into the air, the thoughts of Takashi dying ran through my head.

_I told you to keep it together. And did you listen... no of course not.  
>"Shit... shut up... I don't need this right now.."<em>

"Takashi..."

* * *

><p><strong><em>I keep saying this, but I'm so freaking close! This one took a little longer, sorry about that.<br>Just hold out a bit more, then I'll be able to do the other chapters.  
>Stay tuned!<em>**


	10. Another New Life

**_Ugh, almost done. One more chapter before I can start writing new ones! Yay! I'm so happy!  
>Thanks to all those who have been waiting very patiently for this to come. I promise I won't let you down!<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Feel any better?<br>"I just feel more dirty. This mud is gross."_

_At least your calm, that's all that matters to me.  
>"Okay whatever."<em>

_Be cool, let's break free and find Takashi.  
>"Easier said than done."<em>

The rain blinded me as I tried to roll back onto my stomach, with little progress. After all that screaming I did, it took out the last bit of energy I had from trying to break the spell earlier. Miraculously, my body flipped to the side so I quickly got my knees under me so I could push back up from the ground. It took all the power I had, but I managed to break free from the spell once and for all.

"Finally!" I gasped happily into the air as my body hit the ground, allowing the rain hitting against my face kept me awake.

My heart was thumping loudly against my chest, and not in the good kind of way. I couldn't just get up and leave, it would have put even more strain against my body. Everything seemed to be moving slowly as I rested against the ground, not caring if I got caught anymore. But then I heard my brother, he was cursing out loud to himself from somewhere in the bushes. That got me up, despite the pain in my chest from over-exertion.

"Takashi!" I shouted into the air as I made my way to the other side, not even caring if someone saw me.

He cursed to himself again as I carefully mad my way through the bushes, scratching my skin against every little branch. As I tripped through the last bit of the bushes, his reiatsu became clear as day, so I looked up. He was resting against a tree, blood dripping down his lip as his chest wound was exposed out to the rain. I had to bite down on my lip and ball my hands into fists so I wouldn't scream out again, that's how upset I was over my brother.

"Takashi..."

He finally looked up towards me and cursed one last time as he tried to force himself to stand. But I came over and held my hand over him so he couldn't, and he grew angry. He gave me all the dirty looks in the world and tried to kick me. But I knelt down and just stared at him for a minute, mentally telling him to stay still. After a minute of useless struggling, he caved in and rested his head against the tree, and angrily stabbed his katana into the ground.

"Dammit, you broke free."

"Took me a while."

"Did you scream my name?"

"And if I did?"

"I was just wondering, only you would overreact at a time like this." He sighed impatiently to himself, which stirred me the wrong way, especially at that moment.

"And so what if I am? There's nothing I can do, what would you like me to do?" I rebuked him, but he curtly looked away and tried to stare back at the fight.

"Answer me Takashi! What do you want me to-"

"I want you to shut up and let me think!" He spat out at last, his eyes fierce from frustration and pain from his deep wound.

I flinched away and brought my arms up to my chest, which made him automatically regret his choice of words. He tried to apologize, but I turned around and looked out to my friends fighting on the other side. They seemed oblivious to us, which made it a little easier to think to myself. Takashi's voice echoed behind me as I came to my own little world in my head, where the voice could easily talk to me.

_"What should I do? Oh God, if they die out there, what the hell is he going to do? Why the hell is Shinose doing here anyway?"  
>You know what to do Hikari, it's right there.<em>

_"Hell no! I can't do that to Takashi, not like this."  
>It's the only way to save your friends, to save Takashi. With your power, you would be able to stop everything and save everyone!<em>

_"B-But what about-"  
>Don't worry about me, it'll be fine... I think. Let's worry about the consequences later alright?<em>

It was too much to comprehend, why did I have to ruin everything that I built up from the floor so suddenly? If I did do it, then it would make me public enemy number one at the Soul Society. Takashi would probably get into major trouble for allowing me to take his power, even if I did it for my friends. Everything would change for the worse, lives would be at stake, and there would be no way I could talk to my family if I-

_Hikari! For heaven's sake, forget about your family this one time and do what you know is right! Since when were they there for you anyway?!_

That left a sore spot, but a true one that got my mind thinking. When did it matter what my family would think of me if I did this? Wouldn't it actually be a good thing to do this? Then we would see if I had the ability to be a soul reaper after all these years. Plus, it would only last for a while, which was what I needed to save my friends... only a little while...

"Takashi, I need you to do something."

"Whatever it is, I'm not doing it."

"Just transfer some power into me!"

"What in hell are you thinking?! Dad and everyone would kill you if I allowed you to take my power!" He said to me, but that only made me cry even harder as I turned around and fell to my knees.

"Please Takashi! Just a little is all I need! I can't let them die out there!"

"No Hikari, we don't even know what will happen if you take my power. What if something bad happens and you-

"Takashi! Would you rather have me feel guilty for not trying? Or have me stand up against everyone and show them they're wrong?"

He stopped and held his hand a little tighter around his chest as he mentally screamed to himself. I stared at him and tried to read his face, but he hid it well from me for the longest time. Whatever he was debating to himself, he seemed like he was losing it all. Finally, he screamed out loud into the rain as thunder boomed around us, which sent me flying onto my back. I waited in fear on the ground as he scratched the back of his neck with a sour expression.

"Fuck it! Get over here Hikari." He practically shouted at me as he waved his hand towards me.

"Huh?"

"Don't make me say it twice, let me stab you."

I was a little dumbfounded as I rose from the ground and made my way over to my brother. He pulled his katana out from the ground and quickly swished it through the air so there wasn't any mud on it. He glared up at me as he held out the sharp end towards me with one hand, and waited until I firmly grasped the blade. It felt cool in my hand as he pressed a little harder against my stomach. We stopped momentarily so we could glance at one another before we actually did it.

"If anything goes wrong, I blame you." He sighed out apathetically, but grinned at me which made me laugh a little.

"Totally worth it." I laughed shakily out loud as we both rigidly held onto his sword.

"I love you brother... you know that right?"

"Yeah yeah I know... I love you too. No matter what."

I took in one last breath, closed my eyes, and let the blade plunge deeply into my stomach. There was a slight pain as the power came through all at once. I couldn't help but gasp out loud as everything surrounding me turned white and wind whipped around like a tornado. Takashi, the scenery and even the sword itself_ (although I could still feel it)_ disappeared into the white light.

Then... it just went black.

* * *

><p>For a moment, it felt like I was suspended in thin air with nothing solid to grab on to. I could feel there was someone nearby, with their arms gracefully wrapped around my neck but the rest of them wouldn't touch me. It was calm and serene, but just as I got used to it, everything felt like the normal world again. All the sounds suddenly came all at once, which ruined my eardrums and made me scream in pain as my knees touched solid ground.<p>

"Ow! That was a little more painful than what I anticipated..."

"Hikari! Are you alright? Answer me!"

"T-Takashi?" I moaned a little as I rose my head up towards the direction I faced, but he wasn't there.

"What the heck? Where are you brother? Did I kill us all or something?"

"You're fine, just turn around." He answered me back with a snort, but he was quiet as I got up from the floor.

"Honestly brother, you could be a little more nicer right-"

I had to stop midway and just take in the moment of sudden realization. My clothes were not the same mud-stained ones I wore, it was a smooth black hakama with a bright blue wrap across my chest. My sword hung against my back within a sleek sheath with the top wrapped with the blue fabric. I was in awe at the light gray hilt, but only for a second because Takashi couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Your face looks like a little kid in a candy store!"

"S-Shut up! I'm just... it worked brother! It freaking worked!"

"Well hip-hip-hooray for you." My brother tried to sound happy, but he was in so much pain it just sounded a bit more snarky.

"Takashi... are you alright?" I asked him, but judging by the amount of blood on his pure white hakama, it was clear that he wasn't alright.

My body reflexively took a step forward, but then the bushes started to rustle behind me. Both of us stopped, turned around and stared at the bush. Slowly, the arrancar Takashi was fighting came through, the only one who noticed that something was amiss. He held his hand over the wound on his torso, but all in all he looked totally fine. His bright yellow eyes glanced between me and Takashi, and slowly settled on to me.

"Oh... what do we have here?" He said out loud as he came through the bushes and examined me a little better with his eyebrows up.

"Hikari..."

"I know what I'm doing brother, just relax now."

"Well aren't you the cutest soul reaper I'd ever seen." The arrancar laughed at me, but it only made me angry and a bit anxious about my appearance.

"How many have you seen?"

"More than enough to know you're the cutest."

"So like... one?"

That made him furious because he saw that I wasn't falling for any of his lame attempts of being cool. He decided to quickly end me so he pulled out his sword and came right at me. With my new found power rushing through my veins, I easily jumped over him and sliced his arm clean off with one stroke. I some what expected him to scream but he only huffed out the pain and tried again. He managed to swipe my cheek, but I swooped up from under him and ended his life once and for all. The adrenaline I felt was too much for me, and the only way I could get rid of it without exploding was to jump around like a little girl. Hearing Taka laugh made me calm down a little faster so I could glare at him.

"Sorry sister, but that was kind of cute. I hate to admit it, but your work was a little sloppy."

"I know, but I've never really held an actual sword in my hands. It's strange... I thought I would be a little more happy about this but now..."

We both stopped and stared at each other, and awkwardly laughed at the same time. When he didn't want to continue, I just pushed my hair back and tried to focus. My necklace was swishing his tail against my chest, which showed that he was upset. I wanted to be happy, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to be.

"Hey, where's my body?"

"We'll get you a new one, don't worry about it."

"I like how we can just get a new body... if someone normal heard that they would freak."

"Don't you have to worry about something else?" He said as he nudged his head towards the other side of the bushes, where the fighting continued without skipping a beat.

"Right... I'm gonna see if I can help. Don't... don't die alright? I'll try and hurry as fast as I can."

"Okay... I'll try but I'm not promising anything." He smirked as he struggled to get comfortable in the rain again, but pretty much collapsed against the tree trunk.

I couldn't reply, I'd be happy with myself if the last thing I asked my brother was try not to die. My legs took me right to the bushes were they stopped and wouldn't move. Everything in me was shaking and I thought I would throw up out of fear. My brain had to think of all the bad things at that moment, that split moment of exposing myself to my friends for the first time ever. I didn't know if I could handle it, but that abruptly came to an end when brother sighed in an annoyed voice.

"Come on Hikari! Don't over-think just go! I'll die here if you don't!"

"R-Right!" I said as I gulped out loud to his amusement, but to my discomfort. "I-I'm going."

"Take your time, don't worry about me."

"Shut up brother."

His laughter faded away as the sounds of swords clashing and people shouting at each other filled my ears. I took in it all for a moment, mostly because no one noticed me and I didn't want to intervene. But as they kept fighting, jealously slowly rose through me like a wildfire, why weren't they noticing me. After a while, I just felt like doing something radical, so when the second arrancar came close I just stuck my sword through him and cut clean through his abdomen. Kouhei and Miyu were shocked and surprised, they didn't recognize me right on the spot. Miyu even tried to attack me, but somehow Senpai noticed and nearly tackled his sister.

"Stop Miyu! That's Hikari!" He shouted loud enough for the sword fighters to hear and stop midway into their fight.

"Hikari!?" Miyu's voice sounded incredulous, but I only laughed and nodded my head at her.

"Sorry about taking your kill, he was getting on my nerves." I laughed strangely at them, which made me stop and recollect myself.

_"Keep it together Hikari, don't do anything stupid. This is only temporary, remember Takashi. You have to make sure he's safe and well. For Takashi... for them."_

"Hikari.. but how? What about... the accident...?" Kouhei asked me, his eyes wide with shock even though it was hard to make an expression.

I ignored him and turned my attention to the two boys in front of me, who were staring back in return. Ciel's eyes were bright with excitement at the turn of events, although he knew it was temporary. On the other hand, Shinose was speechless as he stared intensely towards me with a pained expression. Shino completely stopped moving as Ciel ran up to me and held onto my hand for no apparent reason. His gray eyes were sparkling from the rain as he glanced up and around my body. He was in awe about everything, especially my sword from the look of his eyes.

"It is you Hikari! I finally get to see you like this!" He excitedly said to me, a bright smile on his face even though we were in the middle of something.

"Yeah, I know C.J."

"How you feeling?"

"Alright, it's just all the adrenaline rushing through my veins right now that's making me feel a bit queasy."

"I bet, not used to it huh?"

"Not one bit."

He chuckled a little as Miyu rolled her eyes and laughed out loud as well. Kouhei tried his best to hid his laughter, but he couldn't hold it in for long. I smiled for a second until bright green eyes caught my attention again. They were just full of heart-aching pain and such deep regret that it twisted my insides from staring. C.J turned around, but went over to Miyu as she crumbled to her knees all of a sudden.

"Miyu?!" He shouted into the air as Miyu began to hyperventilate into her hands, her little sprites worried about their friend.

I turned my attention back to Shinose, to make sure he hadn't done anything. But then a flash of lightning came out of nowhere and struck where he stood just a moment ago. Everyone screamed and fell to the floor, and stayed still for a moment. We all slowly stood up and made sure we were all alive. I, on the other hand, looked back to the strike and was dumbfounded when I couldn't find a trace of Shinose in the air. It wasn't until Miyu screamed bloody-murder that I was able to sense where he was.

"Miyuki! What is-ah!" I screamed as my feet gave out and I was hoisted into the air princess-style.

My hands grasped onto his shirt on reflex, which only made him laugh even more at me. I blushed profusely but refused to make contact until we were up in the air. My voice got caught in my throat as we headed straight into the rain. I could barely hear my friends screaming my name over his laughter and the roaring sounds of rain and wind together. He held onto me tighter as I wrapped my arms around his neck so I had a little support.

"Let me go!" I tried to tell him, but he laughed even harder and pressed his arms tighter against me.

"No can do Hika-Chan, first I gotta get us out of the rain." His deep voice tickled my sore eardrums, sending chills down my spine.

"S-Shinose..."

"That's Shino-Tan to you, Hika-Chan." He said as he finally caught my attention, his bright green eyes the only thing I could make out of him.

I flinched unintentionally at his strange kindness, because I expected a harsher emotion coming from the older boy. But it seemed like he wanted to be like before, a seemingly kind and gently big brother figure to me. Even though times had changed and we could no longer just be older brother and younger sister figures to one another.

"Almost there Light, but I don't think we'll be alone for long." He said kindly as he nuzzled his scruffy face against my cheek.

"Not with your boyfriend behind us."

"B-Boyfriend?" I shivered as my eyes looked over his shoulder to see not Kouhei... but Ciel chasing after us.

"N-No! Y-You got it all w-w-wrong! Ciel's not my b-b-boyfriend!" I bluntly said out loud to Shinose, who stopped midway into his run, allowing C.J to pass us.

"What?"

"Y-You heard me! D-Don't make me repeat myself!"

"Then... is that Quincy...?"

"Y-Yeah! He is!" I buried my face into his shoulder so he couldn't see my face, it was too embarrassing even if he was the bad guy at the moment.

Shinose's aura turned from confused to furious in a split second as he gazed back to Ciel. I looked over my shoulder and tried to read his face. But as he slowly registered the information, he suddenly smiled. And soon, he was laughing into my shoulder which irritated C.J. I could feel his reiatsu surge out of anger as Shinose looked back up.

"Oh this is too good to be true! You let Hikari get smitten by someone else? A Quincy no less!"

"Shut up Shinose!"

"Why should I? I mean, after all these years of being together, I figured you'd have her in your arms without a fight. I'm a little disappointed Cicel..."

"What's it to you?! Why does that matter?!"

"Oh it matters to me, little brother... now I have the ability to tease you no matter the situation. You gave me the perfect opportunity Cicel."

I cringed as he continued to laugh at Ciel, who was getting angrier by the minute. My arms were slowly getting drenched by Shinose's blood, the pain in his eyes too much to ignore. We stayed in the rain for a few more minutes, the awkward tension in the air so strong yet familiar. Finally he stopped and wiped a tear from his face, or a rain drop, it was hard to tell the difference. He looked down at me and gave me the sweetest smile a boy had ever given me, which stopped me from breathing all together.

"Looks like I lost for now, we can't be by ourselves Light." He tsked to himself as he leaned his head against mine to my surprise.

He carefully shifted his arms around my waist, so I was pretty much hanging onto him from his shoulders. Ciel didn't dare to take a step closer, but he was more aware and ready to intervene at any time. But it honestly felt like he was just trying to hug me before he gave me back to Ciel, so I let my guard down. With one hand, he snapped his fingers and opened up a black abyss behind him. I was in awe at the darkness when suddenly he brushed his finger lightly against my chin until I looked back up to him. It was like the kind you would use on a loved one and were trying to draw their attentions to you.

"Can you at least say goodbye to me, unless you hate my guts?" He asked me softly as he continued to brush his finger against my face.

"Only if you promise me something, Shino-Tan." I snapped his name with a bit of acid in my voice, making him flinch and lose his bitter-sweet smile.

"What would you like me to do, my Princess Light?"

"Promise me you will fight me when you have the guts to."

His playful eyes suddenly turned corrupt and fierce, a crooked smile replaced his gentle grin. I cringed as his arms slide down my back in a teasing way, my hands pulled against his hair out of reflex. This made him laugh, and squeezed me in the wrong places, causing me to yelp a little in his face.

"Of course Light, I just didn't want you to worry about anything since you've never actually held a sword in your life. What kind of friend takes advantage of that? Certainly not a good one."

"So that's a deal then?"

"Yes," He said as a malicious smile drew my attention away from his hand that rose above me. "Anything you say, Hikari."

It came out of no where, a searing pain at the halfway point of my chest and stomach that made everything grow hazy. I didn't want to, but I forced myself to glance down and nearly gagged on my own blood. His snow-white arm contrasted against my bright red blood, making it harder for me to keep down the blood in my throat. My hands that pulled against his hair loosened up until the hung limply to my sides, my only support was his arms around my waist. I could hear Ciel screaming my name and cursing at Shinose, but I was distracted by his green eyes.

"It's a done deal. Say Hikari, I want to say one more thing." Shinose said smoothly as he kissed me without warning, despite the blood on my lips.

His kiss was warm and comforting, as he pulled away I couldn't help but taste something sweet on my tongue. I stared blankly at his eyes, which of course didn't move him at all. Everything seemed to be moving at a turtle's pace, but when I tried to move, nothing happened.

"I just want you to know, that I've always loved you."

And with those last words, he pulled his arms to the side and allowed me to fall back towards earth. Everything rushed past me as I could watch the rain fall down towards the ground like I was a part of it. His green eyes were the last thing I saw normally, but that only made me angry. My hands reached out towards him in a weak attempt to grab his attention, but I was too far away for him to see.

"D-D-Dammit..."

"Hikari!" Ciel's voice rang in my ears, but I got so tired that I didn't want to reply to him.

_"Can I finally say what an asshole life is?"  
>Man, you're so depressing and melodramatic.<em>

_"Y-You again..."  
>Yup, it's me. And I'm not going anywhere. Ever.<em>

_"G-Great..."_


	11. From the Top

**_Whoo! I did it! It's finally time for new chapters! Aren't you guys happy? I am!  
>New chapters are coming up, so you better be ready!<em>**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own this series; except for my characters and this story-line._**

* * *

><p><em>I woke up and found myself in the Soul Society, my body sore from only God knows what and dried blood covered half of my entire self. There was no one around by the look of things, which started to give me the chills. My body managed to get up from the floor and I had to take baby steps just to get moving again. I was so tired, I wanted to fall back down and sleep, but it couldn't be done, not until I found my friends. <em>_For what seemed like hours I wandered through the familiar halls of the Soul Society, passing all the courts in descending numbers. Finally, I crumbled to my knees and just screamed out into the air, with tears stinging my eyes. Everything foggy around me, which slowly drew my attention away from the sky. No one was coming though, yet I heard off in the distance the sounds of feet pattering against the floor._

_"There she is!" Someone said as something bashed hard against the back of my head and knocked me to the ground. _

_What I thought to be a few people turned out to be about two hundred people who were angry over something. I tried to get up, but someone's foot stepped against my head and kept me down. My body was sore and people were pushing against ever little part of me to make sure I wouldn't get up. So I gave up the fight and allowed them to reach under me and drag me where ever they wanted to go._

_"Why is she alive?"_

_"She's a monster."_

_"In the end, it'll be her fault that we die."_

_Someone grabbed onto my hair and raised my head towards them, but I had no energy to look at them. They angrily scoffed at me and roughly threw my head back to a comfortable position as I got dragged up stairways and rocky pathways. It took me a while to find out where we were headed, the execution hill where they took my mom. As we got closer, it felt like people slowly were disappearing behind me except for a few people, mostly the captains and their lieutenants. I could tell because of their high spiritual pressure and somber auras about this situation._

_"Please... let me go... please..."_

_Whomever was holding onto me held a little tighter onto my arms, but refused to be swayed by my pathetic voice. When we arrived, they threw me to the ground waited till I got up on my own feet. Surprisingly, I could get up and when I saw what was in front of me I held my breath. It was the Sokyoku, it was clear because of the wide ground and its familiar aura of remorse in the air. Someone grabbed onto my arm and pulled me to the stand, where they pushed me onto it and stepped back._

_The air surrounding me was sucked into a tiny bubble, and my arms rose up to my sides without consent. I tried to fight it, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing worked. Something white caught my attention, followed by his teal eyes as he came towards me. Toshiro just stood in front of me with an emotionless expression on his face until he stuck his hand out. I thought he was going to brush some hair from my face, but he went lower and yanked my necklace off of me. As my eyes watched him twiddle the pendant in his hands, I couldn't help but sob towards the ground._

_"Why... why would you take that away from me...why?"_

_He looked up to me with a startled look on his face, but it quickly washed away as he turned around. I watched as he reunited with the other captains, and grasped even tighter onto my necklace. With a jolt, my body began to rise up into the air and sent my heart into a frenzy. Despite the pain I felt in my chest, my arms thrashed towards the front and my legs fought to move again. My head felt like it bashed against something as I stopped high above in the sky, farther than what they would tell me criminals rose up to. Everything beneath me started to swirl as a giant spear rose from the ground and was engulfed in a huge flame. _

_"No..." I cried to myself as the flames manifested into a bird and came straight towards me with everything it had._

_I closed my eyes and imagined it engulfing me into its fiery wings and body, and burning me into nothing. Everything seemed to be going as intended, I would be dead and no one would have to worry about me anymore. I thought to myself about my friends and how much they would miss me. My parents and Takashi would be at peace and wouldn't have to live with the guilt of what happened all those years ago. Karin and Yuzu would eventually forget about me like Masaki and live the rest of their lives as normal human beings. It was supposed to be that way anyway, why should I interfere?_

_"Hikari!" A voice screamed at the top of his lungs which made the Sokyoku stop midway and cry into the air._

_I opened my eyes as a blue arrow shot straight through the bird and destroyed it within minutes. All the captains below were shocked and fumed to one another as three reaitsus appeared in the distance. The white forest slowly fell to the ground until there was nothing left to take down, exposing the Ryoka at last. Miyu was in front and somehow was fighting at least five people until they took her down. Kouhei jumped over them and started shooting arrows in all directions, hitting anyone who came in his way. He almost made it to me, but Byakuya grabbed onto his shirt and two other people pinned their swords against his body._

_"Miyuki! Kouhei!" I screamed in anguish, but then I realized C.J was still out there, so there was some hope left. _

_And sure enough, C.J in his resureccion form, came bolting through everyone and jumped into the air. He started to run on reishi, which no one seemed to be capable of doing at the time. I saw his bright gray eyes staring at me the entire way, his hand out towards me in an attempt to grab me. My hand nearly broke as I tried to reach towards him, but then everything stopped in a flash. His blood spurted from the wound against his neck and sprayed onto me as he fell towards the ground. My hand that I managed to stick out was covered in blood came back to me as I screamed in agony._

_"Ciel!" _

_I was sobbing to myself when a second figure appeared in front of me and waited until I looked up towards him. His bright green eyes were smiling at me as he licked off some of Ciel's blood from his sword. Anger and disgust rose from the pit of my stomach, but got held back as his green eyes turned into brown ones. I froze in my spot as Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of me, scowling deeply at me._

_"Why couldn't you just forget?" He sighed angrily at me as his hand reached out towards me and rested against my stomach._

_I flinched as it went through my body, and came back with a small bluish-purple orb. It was encased in a small glass box, that immediately evaporated into the air. Ichigo smiled to himself as he held onto the thing more tightly, and ignored my presence. but for some reason I couldn't contain my anger anymore and started to scream at him._

_"What the hell is that Ichigo! Was that in me all these years? Answer me Ichigo! Tell me the truth!"_

_He cringed as everything around us started to shake uncontrollably, most likely due to my sudden surge of exposed energy. Without warning, the bonds that held me let me lose, and he and I started to fall to the ground. Ichigo out of reflex released the orb which I caught back in my hands. It glowed brightly and went through my hands just as we crashed back into the floor and almost broke through the hill._

_Everyone scattered as I sat up from the crater I made in the ground, but there was no energy left in me to move. I heard Ichigo shuffle beside me and stand above, his hand around my clothes. I grabbed onto his arm as he lifted me into the air without saying anything to me. I opened one eye and sudden realized that it wasn't my dad anymore, but a different man entirely._

_He had pushed back brown hair and harsh brown eyes, a malicious smile on his face as his other hand grabbed my throat. My feet hung limply towards the ground as I started to choke on my blood and spit, the air in my lungs buring my insides. I could hear him laugh as I clawed my nails into his arm but nothing seemed to make him let go. In my head, I could hear a woman laughing too, but no other person was around. I was about to ask him who else was there, but then there was a sharp pain deep inside my stomach that made me cough up some more blood. _

_"Is the little child scared?"_

_"W-Who are you?"_

_"All I wanted was the Hogyoku back, but you had to take it away again."_

_"H-Hogyoku? What is that? Why do I have it?"_

_"I should have killed you again when I had the chance." He said as he created a blinding white blade in the palm of his hand, and held it against my stomach._

_"Looks like I'll have to cut you open."_

_"P-Please don't." I begged and cried out loud, but that only made him chuckle as the blade plunged deep inside me again._

_"You are so adorable... you know that Hikari?"_

_I choked on my blood as he went clean through my stomach and out the side of my hip with one swing. There was no way to stifle my screams, no matter how hard I tried to make myself less weak. He continued to laugh at me and cut around my body like a piece of meat. When he sliced down my chest, it took my breath away and everything became suddenly enveloped in a bright white light._

_"I-ICHIGO!" I screamed as the light took away all my senses except for the pain I felt deep inside my chest._

* * *

><p>My breath came back to me as I awoke in a dim and unfamiliar room. I could hear my heart beating against my chest as I grasped onto what cloaked itself around me. It took me a while to calm down and get my heart to thump in a comfortable pace. I brushed against my eyes to feel the tears still lingering from the dream I had, which made my stomach churn. The pain I felt was all too real, like it actually happened to me a long time ago. But the last time I checked, I was never cut up like that, not even in a dream when I was younger.<p>

As I brought my hands down, they brushed against my pendant that miraculously stayed on during my unconscious thrashing. It gave me little comfort, the scene where Toshiro just ripped it off of me still left me in a bit of a shock. I laid back down and tried to keep myself from moving all together, so the pain would numb itself a little more. A couple of deep breaths in and out made it well enough to trail my fingers around my body, to make sure I hadn't died or something. To my surprise, there was no chain against my chest, only tightly wrapped bandages that pressed hard against my chest.

"No wonder I couldn't breath... this is too tight..." I coughed a little as I tried to make it loosen up a bit.

I tugged and tugged at all the lose parts until they unraveled completely, which scared me. My hands quickly grabbed onto the ends so I could just tie them back together, but something made me cringe. I put both ends into one hand and carefully felt around the area where I remembered Shinose had stuck his hand through. When I lifted up my fingertips, they were lightly dampened with bright red blood, so I quickly tied back the bandages back together and tried to keep myself from throwing up again. The room was spinning as I tried to forget about what happened, but it was too clear and vivid. Tears blocked most of my sight for a while until I rolled onto my side. I didn't even hear the person come into the room, I was too busy sobbing softly into my knees.

"S-Should I leave?" He asked me in a worried tone as something waved to and fro near his voice, giving it an almost fan-wind effect.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm done."

"You sure? I can leave and give you a moment-"

"I said I'm done."

"Touchy touchy... like father like daughter..." He grumbled playfully to himself as I sat up and finally acknowledge the man.

He was an older man, the same man I saw sitting at his store a long time ago. I could remember him because of his green and white hat and blonde (almost white) hair. He had the fan in his hand again, closed at first to let me see his soft gray eyes. But then he snapped it open and started to fan himself in front of me.

"Good morning sunshine."

"M-Morning, how long have I been out for? Am I dead?"

"Nonsense little lady, you're not dead. See a chain anywhere on you? We managed to find your gigai and fixed it up for you. It should fit you a lot better than before."

"That's great... I guess. Now people won't be able to find me at all... again. But that doesn't tell me how long I've been out."

"Hold your horses, it's not like you'll be going anywhere soon. There's too much damage to both your body and soul. You need to rest and build up strength, or else you'll kill yourself."

"Okay... but please, I just want to know what day it is? Or at least what time, there's no clock in here."

"It's almost four in the afternoon, you've been out for ten days."

"Ten days?!" I shrieked out loud, but that made him burst into laughter and nearly fall to the ground.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't think you would get overly-excited. It's only been two days since the arrancar came here, you missed nothing."

"M-My aunts?"

"Everything is fine, don't worry so much Hikari. It's not good for you."

"S-Sorry." I breathed out a little shakily as I winced noticeably at the sudden throbbing in my chest.

'Um... M-Mister-"

"Please, only those who try to kiss my ass call me Mister."

"Then what should I call you?"

"You know what I like to be called, you've heard it so many times already." He teased me, but it only made my head throb as I tried to think back to the past.

"I have? Did I meet you when I was younger?"

"Of course you did, back when you were not so damaged and bright."

"Bright? Okay... can you give me a second?"

"As long as you need." He said in a kind voice, so I took in a deep breath and tried to remember if I'd ever seen the man before.

I mean, I know I have, if I hadn't then I'd probably be more freaked out that a stranger patched me up. But he seemed familiar, and not just because I saw him a long time ago outside his shop. He seemed oddly familiar, someone that my dad or even my mom told me about when I was playing with them. Actually, I think he visited us at home, well at Byakuya's manor, since that was where Takashi and I grew up mostly.

"Have you... been to the Kuchki Manor before?"

"Loads of time, finally thought of something?"

"Vaguely, I remember a tall older man who wore a green and white hat all the time."

"That was probably me, since I'm the only one who can pull it off so well." He laughed as he skimmed the rim of his hat with his fingers.

"Right... Kisuke. Kisuke Urahara right?"

"Correct little lady, but do you remember what your dad used to call me?"

"Ichigo? I'm supposed to remember that too?" I grumbled to myself as the light in his eyes sparkled a bit when he heard me use my dad's name so fluently.

"Do you always call your father by his name?"

"Only when I'm talking to grown-ups... but they always seem surprised to hear me say it. Why is that?"

"Well, you're such a young girl and normally you would use his name when you're like... in your twenties or something."

"Fat chance, Takashi can't even say _Ichigo _around me. And he's like... twenty-five... I think."

"You're right, he's twenty-five."

"Oh... okay then... wait! I got it!"

I did remember his stupid nick-name, because this lady used to tease Ichigo about it when they came over. She was so pretty, what with her yellow eyes and perfect body, it made him squirm when she teased him about it. I remembered I used to laugh at my father's face, which only made things worse for him. Rukia would try and take me away, but the lady stopped her because she took a liking to me. I remembered hearing my father say his name over and over just to spite her, but it didn't work.

"Mr. Hat-n-Clogs! Right?"

"Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!" Urahara said in a fake happy voice, he even went as far as to throw secret confetti into the air from his sleeve.

"Where'd the confetti come from?"

"Does it matter? Since you got it, I'll allow you to call me which ever name you'd like! Go on, surprise me!"

"O-okay... Urahara."

"Aw, you're no fun." He pouted to himself as I stretched my arms as he turned his back to me for a second to see if someone was there.

"Urahara, are my friends okay? They aren't... too damaged are they? Like me?"

"Don't you want to know what happened to you first?"

"Is it that bad?"

"Well let's put it this way," This cool, almost quiet voice said out of the blue as something walked past the corner of my eye. "You nearly died if your friend had not spent about three hours trying to patch up your hole."

"My... hole?"

"Do you not remember? That arrancar boy stuck his hand through you, not completely though. He probably wanted you to suffer rather than kill you." The voice continued next to me, but it only made Urahara scowl.

"Yoruichi, you don't have to be so blunt."

"She's not a child, you can tell by how she can easily say Ichigo's name."

"But she's not even out of high school, plus she's never been properly introduced to her world like everyone else."

"And who's fault is that?"

"Certainly not hers." Urahara said harshly as the creature hopped in front of me and landed gracefully in my lap.

"My... fault?"

The creature, which turned to be a black cat, looked up towards Urahara who stared at me for a second. I felt like I was on the brink of tears, but I bit my lip and tried to stop myself from thinking about it. He looked like he was in pain as the cat went over to him and started talking to him in a low voice. She was a sleek black cat with golden eyes, like the same cat from my house. But I told myself it couldn't be her, but later I realized it was the same cat, and she had been watching over me since only God-knew-when.

"It wasn't my fault... right?"

"No, it wasn't your fault Hikari. She's just being an bad cat right now." Urahara said with a small smile as he grabbed onto the neck fat and lifted the cat up from the ground.

"Your friends are fine, in pain... but fine. The Quincy has a few bruised ribs and a sprained wrist. Miyuki has a sprained ankle, but nothing much happened to her. Your arrancar friend... the mini-Grimmjow on the other hand-"

"Let me guess; fractured ribs, a nice gash to the side of his stomach, a bruised face, and a couple of stab wounds?"

"Not to mention his knuckles are scrapped up." The cat said out loud, which sort of made me laugh into my lap and in my hand.

"Sounds about right."

"Have you... has he...?"

"When they were younger, that was pretty much the outcome every summer before school started till Grimm and Shinose disappeared. Maybe four years that happened?"

"Interesting... we'll be right back, alright Hikari?"

"Take your time, let me just wallow in my migraine pain."

The cat and Urahara looked at each other, but I laughed and forced them to laugh along with me. Once they were gone, I sort of cracked and curled up into a ball on the floor again. Tears streamed down my face as the agony of not remembering just came back to haunt me. For so long, I had always wondered if it was because of me... after all these years. But then again, what did I do to deserve this? It never made sense, it just gave me a headache for a couple of hours after that.

"You go give her the food."

"No, he gave you the bowl. Noba, you go do it."

"..."

"Noba be a man!"

"Says the two-face coward."

"You be quiet Ririn!"

There was a little more fighting until the door slipped open and something walked through. I turned over and saw a little turtle plushy who was holding a big gray bowl above his head. He came over and set it down next to me without a word. We stared a little awkwardly at each other for a second before something broke behind us. He turned around and watched the door rattle around before he sighed and scratched his head.

"T-Thank you for the food." I said out loud as I reached down to grab the bowl, which made him turn around unexpectedly.

He looked back to the door and then to me before he bowed a little and left the room. There was a bit more fighting and then silence filled the air. I laughed a little too loudly as I heard my stomach growl just as badly. The food smelled amazing, but that was probably because I hadn't eaten in a few days. It was warm, and went down easily despite the pain in my chest and churning stomach. I scarfed it down, maybe about five minutes passed when I placed the bowl back down on the ground next to the door.

"Good food..."

There was no one making noise anymore, so I decided to get up and walk around. Bad idea. The first step I took instantly made me fall to the ground face-first. What made it even worse was that my chest exploded with new pain from the floor, so I couldn't help but scream a little. I stayed on the ground for a few minutes, breathing slowly and deeply so the pain could subside. My hands were digging themselves into the floor so I could surpress a little more pain.

"God...dammit! My legs are jelly sticks or something!"

I sat back up on my knees, and rested for another second before I tried to walk again. This whole thing made me feel like a little baby trying to walk for the first time. Takashi used to tell me that I was a baby who needed someone there to watch her. I would get angry and throw whatever was nearby at him, but Ichigo would intervene and scold both of us. He would then pick me up and carry me outside and help me with whatever I needed. I knew I was being selfish, but I loved how my dad would help me even if it was just a simple little thing. I needed him then, and I needed him now... but he never came.

_**"Why is she alive?"**_

_**"She's a monster."**_

_**"In the end, it'll be her fault that we die."**_

"I'm not a monster... I'm not..." I cried over and over into my knees, but the voices got louder and louder inside my head no matter how tightly my hands held against my ears.

_**"She'll kill us all!"**_

_**"There's really no point to keep her alive, is there?"**_

_**"I don't see why we shouldn't just get rid of her?"**_

_**"No one likes you. No one ever loved you."**_

_**"Freak."**_

_**"Did you see how badly she was injured? How could she survive that?"**_

_**"He should have just killed her when he had the chance."**_

_**"Where's the Hogyoku?"**_

My breath caught itself as that last question echoed in my head, what the hell was a Hogyoku? Why did that man want it so badly that he would kill me for it? How did Ichigo know about it being inside of me? Was it inside me at that very moment? Wasn't the Hogyoku something my mother told me about in her stories? What was it? Why did it draw back to me?

"Don't shove!"

Something broke again behind the door, which drew my attention back into the real world. The door, which was closed still, rattled like something or someone hit themselves against it. There were sounds of a scuffle behind them, but it felt more like someone was holding someone back. I managed to get back on my feet, and with tiny baby steps, I reached the door. It shook a little as I opened it, revealing my friends and the pluhies from earlier. Kouhei and Miyu were holding onto Ciel's arms while the plushies were around every inch of him. They all stared up at me like I was some sort of angel, with big bright eyes and small smiles on their faces.

"H-Hey there Hika." Ciel laughed at me, but I just blushed bright red and slammed the door shut on them without warning.

They all shouted at me, including the plushies, but I was too busy looking for a way out. The light from the window showed me the way, and without looking back I opened it and jumped right through. I hadn't even gotten up from the ground when I heard them screaming in shock and cursing into the air. I don't know why I ran, maybe it was because I felt embarrassed about being the weak person. The fact that I was only strong for a little while, and it nearly lead to my death probably helped too.

"Hikari!" Someone shouted, but I got up from the floor and hobbled my way somewhere away from there.

I knew that Urahara would yell at them and try to make them say, he would most likely tell them not to worry. But I also knew my friends would not listen without, and force their way out despite the pain they felt. So, I had a little time to get away, and the closet thing I could get to was a huge tree with its leaves still intact in spite of the thunderstorm. Unknown to most of my friends, I was the best at climbing trees, and of course my friends would never be able to find me... except one.

"Hikari, I know you're up there. You can't hide forever." C.J said in his calm voice as Miyuki and Kouhei shouted around every where else.

"Dammit, how'd you find me so easily? And how did you get away from Urahara so fast?"

"Well, he fought. But we had the upper hand." He laughed tauntingly at me as the tree shook from him added weight.

"Get off, you're gonna break the tree." I growled out childishly as he arrived on my branch with his psychotic smile.

"Nope, not until you get down too."

"I don't want to."

"Hikari-"

"I'm a fool to think I could have helped you guys. I nearly died..."

"No one cares, all that matters is that you're alive and safe. We were so scared, yet it was cool to see you like that."

"Really?"

"Really really. You need to rest."

"So do you, after all the fighting with Shinose. S'not a huge surprise to me how badly beaten up you got." I laughed softly as he grabbed onto my hand, not to pull me down, but to show that he was there for me.

"You know us a little too well, don'tcha Hika?"

"Maybe... _un poco..." _I said as my hand came up and squinted a little closely to his face, to give him the full view of it.

He backed up a little and started to laugh, which in turn got me to smile at him. We stayed in the tree a little longer, it was too soon for any of us to get back to the shop. He stared at me the entire time while I looked up to the sky, I could feel his gaze until I turned back. Then he smiled and softly grazed his bandaged hand against my cheek, pushing a little hair from my face. You could hear the frantic voices of our friends beneath us, so I felt it was time to go.

"Come on Ciel, our friends are gonna have a heart-attack if we-" He cut me right off with a touch of his hands against the nape of my neck.

I shivered a little as his hand grazed around my bandaged chest, drawing itself back up along my neck. His eyes seemed to be foggy, like he was under some sort of spell or something. My voice tried to come out, but it was stuck in my throat as he kissed me. All my senses just evaporated at that moment, like something just clouded around me. His hands combed themselves through my hair and held onto the back of my neck, so I couldn't pull away. I could feel myself tense up against him, my hands that held onto his shoulders tried to pry him away... but there was no strength in me to push him.

His feelings that he bottled up all these years were pouring themselves into me, like a wave of warmth after a cold night. They felt so tender and comforting, I couldn't help but let go of myself and kiss him back. These weren't the same feelings I felt with Kouhei, and this kiss wasn't just a tender peck to my lips. It was more than that, words could never describe what I felt that day with him. His body relaxed a little more and he pulled his hands away so I could lean against the tree without discomfort. After a while however, I started to regain my senses and bit against my lip so he could stop. But he mistook it for something more and tried to pry his way into my lips, which I did not want.

"C-Ci-" I gasped as his tongue entered my lips before my voice could escape again.

It was strange, Kouhei hadn't tried to french kiss me yet so I was unprepared for what came my way. My stomach churned for the worse, but all the strength I had built up went away as he continued to kiss me. It was another second before I moved the wrong way and my body twinged in pain. There was no way I could hold back, so I kinda let it out in the wrong way.

"Ow! Ciel no more!" I gasped as my hands held onto my chest as blood seeped through the bandages.

He pulled back and stared at the blood from my chest, not even realizing there was some spit still lingering on his lip. I tried to brush it away, but he flinched like I was trying to hit him so I brought my hand back. His eyes flashed between me and the bandages for a second before he wiped the spit of himself. I tried to say something, but he looked straight down towards his hands before I could grab his attention.

"I-I'm so sorry Hikari..." He cried out a little, with tears rimmed in his eyes like he had just gotten beaten.

I bit my lip hard until it drew blood, but even that couldn't bring his attention back to me. He refused to look at me with his ashamed face and eyes, he knew I would tell him it wasn't his fault. When I tried to grab onto him, he jumped right off the tree and landed perfectly onto the and when the tears refused to come out I slowly descended back to the floor. Just as I made it to the middle branch, I started to sob a little into my arm. Without realizing it, I missed a branch and soon felt myself falling towards the ground. Lucky for me, Kouhei just came out of nowhere and caught me midway.

"Hikari!" He seemed breathless as his usually stoic face turned into a worried yet relieved type.

"I'm alright!" I laughed a little too soon as I wiped some lingering tears from my face as he settled me back onto the ground.

I tried to create some space between us, but he quickly filled it back up without warning. My body fell lifelessly into his arms as he wrapped them around me and pulled me in. His head rested against mine for a second until he looked down towards me. My lips drew even more blood as I tried to hide the pain from his squeezing, there was no way I could just tell him at that moment.

"Dont. Ever. Do. That. Again." He whispered softly yet threateningly into my ear as he released me from his grasp.

I shivered in pain and a bit of regret for my selfish actions at the shop, why did I have to run? Everyone was worried about me, especially since that I had a giant hole that still needed tending to on my body. Of course he would be upset, I was his most special person right now, and I was just making him more stressed out. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my head into his warm and comfortable chest.

"I-I'm sorry." I cried into his chest, half because I ran away and stressed him out, but the other half for not being strong enough to tell him about Ciel.

He kinda stiffened up against my emotions, but slowly he rubbed my back and laughed into my hair. I looked up to his hazel eyes, which were teasing me the entire time I stared at him. He kissed the top of my head and then suddenly reached under me to carry me back. There was no way I could argue, so I happily wrapped my arms around his neck and rested against his chest. When I glanced up to him, he was smiling peacefully to himself, so I remained silent about C.J... there was no way I could ruin this moment for him with that kind of thing.

"Hikari! You're okay!" Miyu half-laughed and half-scolded me as she and C.J came up to see us.

"I am, hopefully you guys are too." I smiled with a small blush, but that only made her laugh even harder at me.

"Of course! What kind of people do you take us for?"

"Scaredy-cats." I laughed out a little into Kouhei's shirt mainly to hide the sudden pain from my chest from them.

"Aw Hikari!" She groaned out loud, which made both Senpai and me laugh a little harder at her.

She pouted to herself for a second before she couldn't contain her laughter anymore. We all stood there for a moment, but only three of us were laughing. When I stopped and glanced over to C.J, we caught each other's gaze for a moment. He quickly averted his eyes, but I could still see the shame and regret he was holding in himself. Miyu saw the sudden change in my face, and turned to C.J with a quizzical look.

"C.J, what's the matter with-" But her eyes got all big and she stopped mid-sentence because of something scandalous.

I didn't even get to see her, because almost instantaneously Kouhei's hands covered my eyes. Miyu did the same, well, she jumped right on C.J's back so it was easier for her to shield his eyes. But I already knew enough of what happened to be able to picture it, her reiatsu sparkled in front of me.

"Yoruichi! Come back inside and please put on some clothes!" Urahara''s voice shouted from the door, from the sound of it his fan covered most of his face from us.

"Not until these kids get back inside this instant."

I ended up being the only one beside her who laughed, her naked presence wasn't all that bad. It actually reminded me of one time I accidentally caught Rangiku changing. I think I was about four, because she squealed in delight and nearly suffocated me with her chest. Kouhei was confused, but I let him cover my innocent eyes as we passed her.

"Nice one Yoruichi..." I laughed under my breath, but she heard me and lightly smacked her hand against my arm which made Kouhei flinch.

"Poo, you're no fun."

I wanted to retort back at her, but then the pain in my stomach got even worse so I stopped. My hands that held onto Kouhei tightened themselves around his neck. He looked down at me, but I remained silent and just took myself out from the world for a second.

_"Hey voice, are you still in here? "Cause if you are, I could use some of your sassiness right about now."_

She remained silent, her presence was entirely gone from my mind and there was no way I could tell where she went. I had only been awhile, but I had grown fond of hearing her, she knew what to say to me when I needed her. And right now, I needed her to tell me what I should do about C.J... I needed her so badly.

* * *

><p>"Well.. what should we do now?" Kouhei asked the entire group as we settled into Urahara's little tea room.<p>

"Hm.. well the easiest thing we should do is let you four rest. We don't want anyone dying from their wounds now.. do we?" He asked with a small laugh, but it was obvious he was directing that towards me.

I unconsciously grasped my shirt tighter, as if I felt guilty about the wound in my chest. It drew Kouhei's attention, who rested his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer into his chest. I let go of my shirt and kind of held onto his hand without thinking, his warmth slowly crawled up my arm. He smiled to himself, but it was for my own selfish reasons to grab it, since there was nothing else I could do.

"After everyone has rested, we should train for what's coming up. Now that Hikari's had a taste for her powers, we should be able to draw it back out. It won't be easy though..."

"What do you mean? What about before?" Miyu asked him, but Noba, Ririn and Kuroda interrupted us by serving tea.

"That was just borrowed power, it might have been a lot, but it's not enough to fully awaken her real powers. We need to get her own strength in her before-"

"Before what? All the soul reapers come and take Hikari away from here?" C.J inquired bluntly, drawing the wrong attention from everyone to him.

"Well...I don't know. But what I do know is that Hikari is ready to acquire her own _Zanbaktou. _It won't be easy, but then again, being a soul reaper isn't like tying shoes."

"What will you have to do?"

"A difficult process, called _The Shattered Shaft, _thanks to Ichigo. If Hikari truly desires to be a soul reaper, then she must willingly-"

"Turn myself into a Visored... right?" I interrupted him to his surprise, which sent my friends into a frenzy.

"A visored?!"

"She'll become a visored? Hell no!"

"Hikari, you don't have to do this!"

"It's the only way! Come on guys, help me out here!" I sighed tiredly to them, but Kouhei stood up and started pacing in his spot.

"What if this doesn't work? What will happen?"

"Then I'll become a hollow, and you'll have to kill me."

"Then there's no way I'm allowing you to do this."

"Kouhei! What else can I do?! Because of what I did to Takashi, people are going to come after me. That's not a good thing to make a lieutenant do, even if I'm his younger sister!"

He growled to himself, and sat back to the ground, but it wasn't the end of our fight. I moved farther away from him, more towards Urahara who seemed a little surprised that I already knew about his process. We stared silently at each other before he broke away first and tried to reassure my friends that I would be okay.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, if Ichigo can survive, then I'm pretty sure Hikari will be able to do it as well. Do you guys not trust her?"

This question startled all three of them, as if they never thought about the idea. They glanced at each other for a second when Yoruichi stepped inside the room, this time with clothes on. She rested her arm against my shoulder, despite the tension in the air she was the most relaxed. In fact, she was smiling at me and trying to get me to smile back.

"You're a little daredevil aren't you?"

"I guess you can call me that."

"Now that everyone has an idea of what we should do," Urahara cleared his throat to get back out attention to him.

"We should just relax, and let us see what happens. Capise?"

"Capise captain." I said out loud for everyone's answer, which made him smile to himself and made Yoruichi laugh.

"I like this girl... I like her a lot."

* * *

><p><strong><em>asdfglhjlk I'm done. New chapters coming up soon, so be very patient. Your patience will be greatly rewarded.<br>Thanks to all those who have been waiting for so long. Thanks!_**


	12. Hard Beginnings and Unexpected Surprises

It took me about a week to fully heal from Shinose's wound, and a couple of more days so Karin wouldn't get suspicious about me. The entire time I was back home, they scolded me about what happened. I didn't tell them the whole truth, how was it possible to explain to them what happened anyway? I ended up telling them I got stabbed with a branch while trying to save Yoruichi, which kinda passed their test. It made it easier for me to leave home for a couple of more days, as long as I didn't kill myself (_which of course I said I would try_).

During that time, all of us were slowly subcumming to a weird tension, all because of me. On the last day, the day before I started Urahara's process, the secret came out. It started with Miyu, who exploded to Kouhei, who nearly tried to kill C.J again like when he tried to ask for his blessing. But then it all came back to me, and soon after that, no one wanted anything to do with me.

I couldn't blame them, but then again I got angry by the fact everyone put the shame all on me. I snapped at C.J, who retreated off to his own little world and refused to talk to anyone. This angered Miyuki, who at the time was still on his side, and made her leave. Kouhei exploded himself, but after our own violent fight, he went off to train with his dad without saying a goodbye to me. This made me slightly depressed on the day of my training with the masters, Urahara and Yoruichi. I told Karin and Yuzu I would be home in a few days, I just had to help out with Miyu and some other stuff I left unexplained. Yuzu almost had a fit, but Karin said it was fine, which somewhat surprised me. But even that bit of good luck didn't make me happy as I arrived at the shop and waited upstairs for my impending doom.

"Cheer up Hikari, aren't you a little excited to have your own _Zanbaktou?_" Yoruichi asked me as we waited for Urahara and Tessai to clean up underneath the shop.

"I guess, but now my friends are all angry at me. They probably wouldn't care if I did turn into a hollow."

"Hikari! Don't say such a thing! They would be devastated, it's only a kiss. You young kids freak out about every little thing." She grumbled to herself as Tessai came back up to tell us it was complete.

"Thank you Tessai, ready to go down Hikari?"

"Alright, thank you again Tessai."

"It's my pleasure." The older man said with a happy tear in his eye, a small blush around the apple of his cheeks.

Yoruichi lead me down into their massive training field, which somehow fit underneath his tiny shop. Urahara looked a little tired as he stood by a gaping hole that seemed to go down forever. I started to get the chills as we walked over to him, but Yoruichi seemed totally calm about it. When we got closer, Urahara smiled like nothing was going to happen and welcomed me into his area.

"Like it? Took me forever to create."

"It's... spectacular. How do we start?"

"Like this." He said as he lifted his cane and pretty much stabbed my forehead to force out my soul into the open.

"Whoa! Give me a warning next time please!" I gasped as I fell down on one knee, a heavy feeling put right on my shoulders.

"Just as I thought, it did damage you a bit. We need you to be able to move freely while in this state. Although you might be part Soul, you are also Human. A tiny bit, but enough to hinder the process."

"What do I need to do to get comfortable walking around like a Plus?"

"You just have to play for a little bit with Yoruichi. I would have asked my employee Ururu to come, but she's currently at school."

"Okay, so how do I know we're done."

"Oh you'll know. You probably should put these on." He laughed as he threw some protective gear at me, which I caught all together as I stared at him.

I didn't even question him, I just put on the gear like he said and prepared myself. He smirked as something flashed behind me, their energy pouring out in their punch. I reflexively blocked it and was instantly sent back about thirty feet right into a mountain side. All my bones ached terribly as Yoruichi landed gracefully back on the floor and clapped her hands.

"Good job on that defense, but you could have gone a little faster."

As I made my way out, she was already preparing for another attack, so I made sure I could get up and block it. This went on for almost an hour, me mostly trying my best to make sure she didn't kill me. Urahara watched very closely as we fought, but he never said a thing the entire time. Finally, after being punched in the face about five times too many, I got annoyed and managed to blind-side Yoruichi long enough to kick her at her hip, which sent her flying a couple of feet.

"Stop! That was perfect!" Urahara said out loud as Yoruichi got up to attack me one last time, but stopped midway.

"That was it?! All I had to do was hit her?!" I coughed, allowing blood to get out of my mouth as she calmly shook her hair at me.

"Duh, we just wanted you to get used to moving around again. It's been a long time since you've been in this state hasn't it?"

"...Yeah."

"Now that we got that out of the way," Urahara said as he came straight at me, his hand rested against my shoulder. "It's time for part two."

"Part...two?" My question was already answered when Tessai appeared out of nowhere and severed my chain without warning.

I was about to shout angrily at all three of the adults, but then he picked me up and jumped right into the hole from earlier. I blacked out for a second, but when I woke up I found myself alone at the bottom of the hole with my arms bound. It was obvious work done by Tessai, since Urahara explained to me he was the old _Kido_ Captain back in the day. As my arms tried to pull away, I heard all three of them shouting down to me.

"Damn you Urahara! What the hell is this?!"

"This is part two of our development. It's quite simple really, just become a Soul Reaper in three days or else you'll turn into a hollow."

"This is the encroachment process I've heard so little about?!"

"Yes! The clock is ticking little Kurosaki, we don't wanna kill you."

"Yeah, neither do I when I finally get back up there!"

"That's the spirit!"

The pain was excruciating, nothing like I had ever felt in my entire life (_considering that I just had someone's arm in my chest_). I watched in slight amazement as the chain slowly ate itself like an animal. But there was no time to lose, I would not allow myself to become a monster and let them kill me. I tried everything that came to my mind, especially running along the wall which landed me on my back every time. I'd shout and curse into the air, but nothing seemed to be working for me.

"How's it going Hikari?"

"What does... it look like... to ya?!" I angrily screamed as I slowly found myself midway (or what felt like midway) of the hole.

"It's been about sixty-four hours since the process started. Time's still ticking-"

"I know!"

He remained silent for the most part, which I used to calm myself down and see if that voice would come back. I must have looked weird to them, but it was futile to think that it should matter to them. What only felt like ten minutes passed when the final encroachment process started, which sent me to my knees. I wanted to cry as the chain speedily ate itself until there was no more. Suddenly, there was a blinding white light and something covered most of my face and sent me into pitch black nothing.

* * *

><p><em>"Ah!" I screamed as I suddenly awoke in a grassy field in the middle of nowhere, probably hundreds or miles away from Urahara's shop.<em>

_My body felt normal as I started to walk around, totally unaware of the sudden gush of wind behind me. It knocked me over and practically rolled me against the ground until I reached the edge of a cliff. I clung to the edge and desperately tried to get back on my feet, but the wind was too strong. It howled like nothing I'd heard before in my life, and it some what scared me to think that I might die there in some strange world._

_"Can't you get up!" This voice asked me through the wind, her body standing right above me as I clung to the edge._

_My eyes glanced up to a beautiful woman, with long flowy black hair that followed the wind perfectly. Her eyes were bright blue like the sky, yet they were scowling down at me as the gale picked up even more. It became harder for me to hold onto, but she made no movement to help me whatsoever. I heard her say something again, but it was muffled by the rushing sound of the wind._

_"What?! I-I can't hear you!"_

_"Honestly, you were able to hear me before!"_

_"It's you! The voice from before!" _

_"Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!" She laughed at me, her face instantly calmed down a little more as I struggled on in front of her._

_"H-Help me!"_

_"Can't do that sweetie, you have to find your own power and use it."_

_"M-My own power? Wasn't it destroyed all those years ago?!"_

_"Being around you spiritually-gifted friends helped it grow again. Thanks to your brother fixing your reiatsu and giving you most of his, it's back to normal."_

_"I-It is?!"_

_"You have to find it first." She said as the wind suddenly swooped up from underneath me and lifted me entirely from the ground._

_I screamed my lungs out as I entered the air, the wind threw me around like I was nothing more than a leaf. It was clear that the wind was not affecting her as she smoothly followed me up into the atmosphere. My throat was dry and it was getting harder and harder to breath, but I told myself I needed to relax. Well...I did relax and so did the wind, but when I opened my eyes, my body soon found itself falling back towards the ground._

_"So not cool!"_

_"Geez, you're a pain in my ass."_

_"Who asked you!" I growled as stuff started to appear all around me as I continued to fall fast._

_"What are those?"_

_"Pick one and see! How hard is that?! Just pick a goddamn bag!"_

_She started to get on my nerves, but there was no time to waste in my current situation. All the little bags looked the same, so it was difficult to pick one, especially the right one. The ground got closer and closer, but suddenly it hit me. I just had to follow my own path, or in this case, my own ribbon, to the right bag. Takashi showed me that technique a long time ago, when he won every game of hide-and-go-seek. He said that every person had their own ribbon, us of course have red ribbons. It connects to our reiryoku, and shows us where other people are when you are far from them._

_"I got it!" I excitedly shouted as I found my ribbon connected to a bag not that far from me._

_My hands reached out and opened the bag, to reveal the hilt of a sword just waiting to be pulled out. The young girl next to me stared angrily at me as I hesitantly reached inside just minutes away from hitting the ground. There was another flash of white light, and then her voice echoed inside my head again. I could feel her arms wrapped around me like before, but this time her entire body was connected to me, sending a warm wave over me entirely._

_"I hope this time you'll be able to hear my name. I've been waiting a long time, Hikari."_

* * *

><p>It became so clear and bright when I finally made it out of the hole, much to the adults surprise. I stood there for a moment with something in my face as they stared towards me with their hands ready to hit me if necessary. But I easily slide the mask off my face and onto the floor, revealing my true self again. Urahara immediately relaxed, Tessai broke down in happy tears, and Yoruichi sighed in relief. They were so glad to see me, and for a moment, so was I... but only for a moment.<p>

"Should I kick Urahara's ass first? Or Yoruichi's?"

"All in due time Hikari, congratulations on completing step two. Now, step three-"

"Geezus, how many steps are there?!"

He never said how many, he just twirled his cane in his hand and activated his _shikai. _I held my breath as he swung close to my head, and tried a second time within a moment's breath. My sword blocked it, but broke in half as I pulled back. He swung and swung until there was no more room for me to back off. When I thrusted the hilt forward, his hat shook a little, but nothing exciting happened.

"Almost Hikari, just a little more force and the lesson will end."

"Wait, all I have to do it knock off your hat? Why didn't you say that in the beginning!"

"Then it wouldn't have been as fun to see your panicked face when I attacked."

"Okay, your ass is mine!"

He laughed as he tried to hit me again, but I used the remaining stump of my hilt and tried to attack him. Nothing worked of course, he was too strong and I had very limited power at the time. When I fell to the ground, I was bleeding a lot but that didn't stop him from attacking me again.

_What the hell are you doing! Say my goddamn name!_

_"What?!"_

The girl from before was standing right next to me, her eyes full of anger and annoyance. We stared at each other for what seemed like a life time, or a slow moving time. I could see Urahara raising his sword from the corner of my eye, but he was slow. The girl angrily pouted to herself and floated up into the air, her hands right on her hips.

_It's Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū__! Now say it before you die!_

"_Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū_!" I shouted as I swung the hilt against him, sending him flying along with half the mountain side.

Everything after that is sort of blank, but when I woke up it was dark outside and Urahara was sleeping next to me, his hat to the side. Yoruichi explained that I finally knocked off his hat and nearly destroyed most of the under part of the shop with a huge gust of wind. Urahara and Tessai spent the next few hours fixing it while she brought me upstairs and patched me up. She said that I used such incredible power, but we needed to work on controlling it now, which I agreed with. She sat beside Urahara and rested her head against his shoulder, which made him smile in his sleep.

"Can I go home for the night?"

"Of course, you did very good today. Come back by nine tomorrow alright?"

"Okay, goodnight Yoruichi. Goodnight... Hat-N-Clogs." I whispered under my breath, but he must have heard me because he chuckled in his sleep and slouched farther against the wall.

It was a long walk home, the night was still young but it seemed later to me. I could feel all my friends better than ever, it was clear to me that they were struggling as well. C.J was close by, but I was too afraid to see him so I pretty much booked it home the rest of the way.

Karin and Yuzu were startled to see me barge right through the door, but mostly excited to see me after three days of being gone. They served me my favorite dinner and we talked about their crazy customers and grandpa. Somehow they started talking about Ichigo, and told me all his crazy antics before he got married to Rukia. I never realized how much of a bad boy he was, but only because people made fun of his hair. It was nice to hear stories, even if some of them I heard so many times already. The looks on their faces made me laugh and smile, in a way that seemed foreign to me. They too noticed, but tried to keep it to themselves but it was too hard to hide. We ended up staying up late, so I quickly said goodnight and fell asleep in my bed without changing my clothes._

_Wake up! It's morning! And there's something written on your closet!  
>"Hagesh<em>_ī__...__K__yōfū__? What is it? it's so bright outside..."_

_Look!_

I finally got up from my bed, and flipped my hair out of my face to a blood message on the wall. My tongue nearly came clean off as I tried to suppress a scream, it would have drawn Karin or Yuzu's attention. As my heart slowly calmed down, I could read the message, which basically told me I was late. At the end, I couldn't help but laugh as I got up and dressed for the day ahead. Karin was the only one up, but as she watched me eat and leave, she smiled and waved goodbye.

"Bai auntie, I'll see you later."

"Take care Hikari, don't strain yourself alright?"

I stopped at the doorway and turned back to her, but she continued eating her breakfast like nothing happened. It felt wrong to ask her about it, so I laughed a little and made my way over to Urahara's. However, Miyuki and Kouhei were taking a break and crossed paths with me on the way over. Kouhei refused to meet my gaze, but Miyu looked like she wanted to talk. So I nodded my head and she followed me to a place where her brother wouldn't hear us.

"I'm so sorry about everything!" She suddenly said as she bowed to me before we were even out of sight.

"M-Miyuki! It's alright! H-How are you guys...anyway..."

"You haven't talked to anyone in the past few days?"

"I-I've been a bit busy, as you can see I survived the _shattered shaft _process..."

"Oh! Congratulations Hikari!" She laughed like nothing happened between us, although there was some anger still lingering in her eyes.

"Thank you Miyu, I don't mean to be rude but I really have to-"

"Hikari! Urahara is waiting for you!" Ririn shouted as someone lifted me right off the ground and held me in their arms.

"R-Ririn!? Kuroda! N-Noba?" I gasped as Miyu's eyes got all wide at the sight of them three together, especially towards Noba.

"He's not happy, not one bit!" Ririn continued as Noba shifted me in a more comfortable position as Kouhei appeared next to Miyu.

"What is going-"

"No time to explain! Gotta run!" Kuroda interrupted as we three jumped through one of Noba's vortexes and landed right in Urahara's shop.

"Thank you for picking her up fellas." Urahara said with his evil smile as Noba dropped me carefully on the floor and shifted away back against the wall.

"H-hi Urahara..."

"Let's being your training... shall we?"

It was total hell for the next couple of days, me just getting slammed against the wall every ten seconds because I was so new with a _Zanbaktou. _They had to teach me from scratch, even though I learned most of the stuff when it was impossible for me to become a Soul Reaper at my age. I managed to control my reiatsu pretty fast, but the hard part was actually putting in my fighting style (_which I had none whatsoever_).

"Hikari! There's someone here to see you!" Tessai called from above as Urahara and I fought each other with our _shikai._

"Oh, for me? One second Tessai, I'll be right there... as soon as I kick your ass."

"That'll never happen, you should go up."

He pinned me down the moment he laughed, which got me even more irritated. I caved in and he released me, but before he could gloat I punched his arm and sent him flying to Yoruichi's pleasure. She laughed and laughed as I climbed back up the stairs into the little shop, to see Miyuki waiting patiently for me. Her eyes got all bit at the sight of me in my hakama, but maybe it was because of all the blood.

"Did you forget?"

"Forget what? And hey there."

"Hey Hikari, about your hair appointment we made a while back. You said you wanted to get it trimmed, so here I am."

"Hair appointment, people still make those?" Yoruichi said out loud as she and Urahara entered the room behind me.

"Yes, she made one a long time ago. I came to take her since she's never been there, do you mind?"

"I don't see why not, go with her Hikari."

"O-Okay. Give me a second Miyu?"

"Sure."

I slipped back into my gigai and followed her out towards the middle of town, to a small secluded shop to the side. Inside, it smelt like hairspray and nail polish, but everyone seemed so kind and sweet. Miyu walked right up to an older lady with bleach blonde hair, who waved me over to her chair. She instantly washed my hair and seated me down as Miyu sat beside me with her eyes set like stone.

"What would you like done today?"

"I'd like my bangs trimmed, into a fringe please. And would it be possible to style my hair into a pixie-cut, or something that works with the fringe?"

"You want.. all your hair gone?"

"Please? If it's not too much trouble."

"None of course! Let's see what I can do with such pretty hair, I love the orange highlights!"

"Thank you, it's from my father." I laughed as Miyu kinda gasped to herself, but she shook it away when I looked back.

"A-All of it's gonna come off?"

"It'll work better if it's short, that way it doesn't get in the way when I... you know.. fight."

"This doesn't have anything to do with my brother... does it?"

"No! He's a big boy, when he wants to talk, he'll talk. Besides, I don't want to fight again, he's kinda scary."

"I know, and I'm really sorry about taking C.J's side so easily. I should have listened to you, but I-"

"It's alright, I'm not good at explaining things. But I'm happy that you understand now." I smiled a little towards her, but her expression remained unchanged.

"How's your training going?"

"Did you see all the blood? I think it's going pretty well."

She smiled and relaxed a little as the lady began to comb through my hair with her fingers. Miyu turned away and instantly fell asleep in her chair as the scissors came out. I closed my eyes and thought back to the fight I had with Kouhei before the training.

**~...~**

_"Kouhei, please... it's not what it-"_

_"How could you let him kiss you so easily? Even I haven't used tongue because I wanted to wait!"_

_"Wait, come on Senpai. I didn't let him, he just swooped in unannounced and kissed me! How was I supposed to know he was gonna go french on me! Kouhei, please!"_

_"You did let him though Hikari, that's what's bugging me! You just let him slip through your walls and kissed you! You didn't even fight back!"_

_"There's a difference in let and accept Senpai! He's my friend, my best friend Senpai, but It's not like I wanted it to happen, why can't you calm down-"_

_"Because I'm angry, Kurosaki! That's why!" _

_He smashed his fist against the wall as I stepped forward to grab his arm. I took a few steps away from him, resting my back against the wall and slowly felt myself slide down in fear. He had never, not once, ever shown that much anger towards something... at least not to me. I wanted to cry then and there, to give up and cry for my mom or something. He saw me shivering,realized the anger he was showing, and relaxed enough to sit in the chair he had yet to smashed as well. _

_This happened when I was still recuperating at Urahara's, but I knew he wasn't going to step into our fight. I could tell Ririn, Kuroda and Noba were watching me to make sure nothing happened, but they too were afraid of Kouhei. He left the room without another glance to me, but I saw that he stopped at the door for a second. After thinking over whatever was in his head, he opened the door and slammed it shut the moment he stepped outside._

_I started bawling into my knees, repeating to myself that it was my fault that it happened. Maybe a few seconds later, I felt something warm against my shoulder trying to pull me into their arms. When I looked up, it was Noba, and despite the bright red blush on his face, he was trying to comfort me. Ririn and Kuroda were also there, but it was Noba who held me as I cried from the fight and my pain. It was the next day when I started the shattered shaft process, so it had been awhile since I last saw Kouhei that day out with Miyuki._

**_~...~_**

"All finished!" The woman said with glee as I opened my eyes to my new hairstyle, which I couldn't help but squeal over.

"Oh it looks so good! Miyu, what do you think?!"

Her eyes fluttered open and instantly got all wide at how much difference there was. She smiled so brightly that it was somewhat blinding as she squealed aloud too. The woman looked a little frazzled, but she laughed aloud as Miyu ran her fingers through my short hair before me. After shaking the little pieces of hair on me and learning about how to keep my hair nice, we headed back to Urahara's shop. It felt very natural to be near Miyu again, smiling and laughing with the past behind us. Yoruichi and Hat-N-Clogs were sitting outside when we showed up, and almost instantaneously their expressions changed.

"I thought you were going for a trim?" Urahara asked in an incredulous voice, but it didn't phase me one bit as I smiled cheekily towards him.

"Yeah, change of plans."

"Well, I think you look very cute with your hair short like that. And your bangs are simply adorable on you."

"Thank you Yoruichi, it feels weird... I haven't had my hair this short since I was a little girl." I laughed softly as my fingers ran through my still damp hair.

The wind picked up as I stood there outside, blowing a nice breeze along my now naked neck. I shivered noticeably, which made Yoruichi laugh to herself. At that moment, it became clear to me that she had been paying close attention to me, probably since forever. I thought back to the first time I laid eyes on her, while she was outside my house in her cat form. From time to time in my school years, I saw her outside my house as if watching over it. Then I realized now, as we trained together, she had been watching over me for some odd reason. That's how she knew most things about me when we talked during my breaks. It felt like she knew what I liked and did not like before I said it out loud. I should have been a little freaked out, but then again it made me feel a little happy that someone was looking out for me... even from a distance.

"Why don't you take a break Hikari? Just a day off wouldn't hurt you."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. You've been training rather hard this past week, and I think you deserve at least one day to yourself." Urahara said as he pulled out his fan and started to fan himself and Yoruichi.

"Thank you Hat-N-Clogs! I'll be back on Monday then, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all, enjoy your day to yourself. Get the rest you need, because on Monday it's going to be hell on earth."

"I already thought hell was on earth? What the heck have you been doing to me for the past few days? Every inch of my body is covered in bruises and scratches!"

His gray eyes shone brightly above his fan, which hid his cheeky smile from me and Miyu. Yoruichi didn't even try to hide hers, she just laughed and rolled around on the floor (_she was in cat mood_) as I fumed to myself. Miyuki chuckled and grabbed onto my arm before I could try to punch Urahara's arm again. We left the two grown ups be and she walked me all the way home, but then something chased after us. It was Kon, and he told us Urahara sent him to be with me just in case something happened. I begrudgingly took him along, although I told myself it wasn't really necessary.

The next morning, I got up later than usual thanks to Kon drawing the curtains late last night. The sun was shining brightly as I opened up the window, the smell of summer wafting the air like never before. It felt strange to be in my room, all locked up without nothing to do to myself. I decided on going to my tree and reading a little before night came, it should have been easy. I got dressed real quick and came downstairs to eat a small breakfast, and made myself a snack to eat at the park. Then I went back upstairs to grab my phone, book, Ipod and of course Kon (_just in case something happened_) and walked over to the park. Because of the nice weather, everyone and their mothers were out having the time of their lives. Kon was all excited to see the younger women, but I kept him in check until we made it to the tree.

"Don't run off too far, ya hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" He excitedly answered me as he raced back to where everyone else was while I stayed hidden under the old tree.

I laughed a little to myself as I settled down against the trunk and started to read my book. It was starting to get intense when the atmosphere around me slowly started to change. At first, it was subtle and my music was playing really loud, so I ignored it for the most part. But then Kon scrambled from the bushes and knocked the book out of my hand. On instinct I swiped at him, but he came right back and tried to rip out my headphones. I stood up and grabbed him by his leg, which made him frantically wave his arms around.

"Geez Kon, my ears are still ringing. What the heck's gotten into you?!"

"Look behind you! Why can't you see him?!"

"See who Kon? What are you-" My voice stopped as I was swept off my feet by someone who could have cared less about my things.

I was practically thrown over his shoulder like a sack of flour, much less than a person. Kon frantically tried to grab onto me or the person, but his strides were too much for the tiny plushy. It was clear to me that the person was an older man, but I was so focused on the plushy that I didn't get a good look on his face. I watched as we went farther and farther away from my stuff, which was still left out in the open for people to steal.

"Hey! My things! Let me go, I need my stuff!"

"Calm down munchkin, if ya rattle around too much I'll drop you!" He scolded me, his deep and scruffy voice clear like a church bell in the morning.

"M-Munchkin? D-Did you just call me a munchkin?!"

"So what? You've always been short, I'd thought you wouldn't mind me calling you munchkin after all these years."

"W-wait a second... this... you can't... R-Renji?"

He stopped moving all together, and stood there with me still over his shoulder as if he could have cared less about what people would think. Next thing I know, his hands are around my hips and he's trying to get me settled in his arms in a comfortable way. Out of reflex, I wrapped my arms around his neck so he could shift me into a bridal-style hold with his head rested against mine. Once he pulled away, I saw the Cheshire-cat smile on his face that seemed so out of place after all these years. His black eyes were shining in the light as I felt tears swell up in mine within a moment or two.

"Renji... it is you..."

"Nice to see you too, munchkin. Your hair suits you like that, it works." He laughed as his hand played with my bangs for a second before his eyes settled onto mine.

"H-How did you... thank you uncle...What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you home."

His words echoed in the back of my mind on repeat for the longest time, painfully hitting against my heart with every syllable. He seemed so careless about it, like he was just picking me up after an hour and not ten years. The word _home _seemed to be something that only people in movies and books used in their happy lives, unlike mine. I hated the word, every time someone said it out loud it made my blood boil right down to my inner core. Yet, here was my uncle, whom I hadn't seen since I was a child, who probably expected me to jump out of my skin in happiness and joy.

"H-Home...?" I breathed out slowly to myself, but he heard me and rolled his eyes in a not-so-chalant way.

"Yeah home, where else would I be taking you?"

"Well... there's Urahara's shop or Karin and Yuzu's place. Oh, and then theirs grandpa's-"

"I get it, I know it's been a long time since you've been home but hear me out. Everyone's excited to see you again-"

"Like hell they are! They just want to lock me up in the white tower after what happened with the _arrancars_! You guys know what I did to Takashi, so I should be in huge trouble shouldn't I?"

"Take it easy munchkin, we'll discuss about it when we get there."

"Wait a second! I never said I wanted to go home, and it's not like I can just drop everything! What about school? My aunts? My friends?!"

"Later, end of discussion."

"I'm not done Renji! Put me down right now!"

"No." He said a little threateningly as I grasped tighter around his neck to make him stop, but he barely budged.

I tried to jump away, but his grip around me got tighter as he felt me struggling to free myself. My heart was thumping against my chest in a painful way, but it wasn't enough to make him stop. Kon was still trying to grab a hold of the red-head, but he was so determined to get me away that it scared me a little. I tried and tried but everything I did seemed futile, my worst nightmares coming to the light as we spoke.

_"Guys... where ever you are... I just want to say I'm sorry. I don't want to go anymore... please... help me."_

* * *

><p><strong><em>AH! What the heck?! It's here! My very first new chapter in what seems like forever! I hope you liked it, I know I pretty much copied what happened to Ichigo, but can you blame me? After all, she is his daughter...<br>Well, leave any comments or criticism for me if you want. I would like to hear from you guys, to see if it's catching on again.  
>Thanks ever so much for reading!<em>**


	13. Painful Reunions

**_Asdffgjlghj... new stuff. I hope you like it, tell me if things don't make sense to you (but I'm trying to keep things on the down low so bear with me). It's like twelve in the morning right now, so forgive me. Always happy to hear something from you guys, so don't be shy.  
><em>****_And just to let you guys know, I'll be going up to Sacramento and San Francisco this weekend, so updates later next week. I'll be back Tuesday afternoon, so I hope you can wait! _**

**_Disclaimer_****_: I only own the characters I made up and my story line. Nothing else._**

* * *

><p>"Hey. The lady said put her down. I suggest you put her down. Now." A voice boldly stated to Renji as their reiatsu poured out like a glass of water.<p>

We stopped walking almost immediately as he spoke, the ground around us shook a little at the sudden pressure. Renji looked a bit terrified as he turned us around to see the person standing behind us. I had to bite my tongue from exploding right then and there, mostly because Uncle was so dumbstruck at the sight of his hair. It was Ciel, which I should have known by his reiatsu, but Renji's was so overpowering to me, it felt like nothing until he got closer. He was smirking the entire time, which made it so clear who's child he was (if the hair hadn't given it away).

"What are you doing!?" My voice came out shaky as I tried to get away from Renji, which was an epic fail because he was too strong.

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm trying to help you Hika!" He angrily shouted back to me, which kind of spooked Uncle for a moment until he saw my angry face.

"Well, I don't need my friend hopped up on his power! I need my Ciel!"

He seemed taken aback at my words, but slowly he realized what I meant and relaxed a little. I could feel Renji's eyes on me in confusion, but he saw how Ciel changed from being a fierce being to a little kitten again. His choker that he always wore (_to hide most of his reiryoku_) was gone, but he must have kept it in his pocket for safe keeping. His mask seemed different than the last time I saw him this way, maybe because of all the training he went through.

"Better?"

"Much better, I'm glad you're around for me Hikari."

"Me too... especially at this moment."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Renji had to say out loud, which made both of us tweens stare awkwardly at him for a good while.

"Um... Uncle... I don't mean to be rude but... could you not interrupt us?"

"Alright, you're just as bad as your mother." He grumbled to himself as I shifted my arms so I could face Ciel in a more appropriate manner for all of us.

"Now where were we? Oh right, what the hell are you doing here Ciel?"

"Like I said, twice actually, I'm here to help you."

"B-But I thought you and I... after what happened between us-"

"Stop right there." He said as he stuck his hand out towards me, his eyes glistening in the light with hidden mischief.

"Why would you think that Hikari? We've been best friends since only-God-knows-how-long, and you thought after our little spite, I'd hate you?"

"Well, you've practically ignored my existence for quite a long time. You weren't there for me when I finished the trials like I wanted you too. I thought you would be there."

"I'm sorry about that, but I had my dad come back to teach me a few more things just in case something like this happened."

"But Renji's a lieutenant!"

"And I'm the son of Grimmjow Jagerjaque, what difference does that make?" He laughed a little arrogantly, but it made me smile a little to my surprise and his.

"I told you I'd always be there for you, no matter how things get. Remember? I'm your tiger, and tigers always have to listen to their masters."

I blushed at his words, which fueled his laughter even more despite my uncle's bewildered look. My eyes glanced up towards him, but he tried real hard to keep his own laughter to himself. I pouted a little as Ciel shook his hair and shifted his sword to the side, for an easier way to grab onto it.

"What would you like me to say?" I asked him in a quiet voice which made him shiver in delight in an obvious way that Renji had no choice but to growl in awkwardness.

"Tell me exactly what you want me to do."

"I...I want you to not get drunk on your power."

"Alright...and?"

"And... Please don't let him take me away. No offense Uncle..." I forcibly laughed a little, but his cold expression sent shivers down my spine with regret.

His eyes glanced from me, to Ciel, and back to me with a hopeful expression. But suddenly, he sighed and that hope disappeared as he set me back on the ground. Kon excitedly jumped onto me as he pulled out a small candy dispenser and ate one. It was breath-taking to see such a thing after all these years, especially since I had never seen Renji do it before. He didn't even try to hide his laughter from me as he shooed his gigai away somewhere safe. I got myself ready to shout at him, but he kissed the top of my head and motioned me to stay with one swell swoop. It was so sudden that my legs froze on the stop and I nodded to show that I understood what he was implying.

"Alright, I'm not going easy on you just 'cause yer Hikari's friend." Renji called out to Ciel with a snicker, but he smiled his own sadistic grin that I rarely saw in reply.

"I was just about to say the same thing... _Uncle..."_

"Wow, I did not see that coming." Kon had to say out loud, but I had to agree with him silently to myself.

We watched in awe as the two began to circle each other like ravenous wolves over their prize. I fought the urge to get in the middle of them, but only because Kon flung himself from my hands and raced off towards my stuff. Within a second of my shout, my body was lifted off the ground again and in someone's arms. If it hadn't been for the scent of flowers wafting off his collar and the light touch of his hands I probably would have screamed my head off.

"B-Byakuya...Sama..."

"Well, look at you Hikari. The years have done wonder on you, although you will always be my little niece. Your bangs really exposes your highlights don't they?" He said in his aristocratic voice, but there was a small laugh hidden in his words.

"Oh really? T-Thank you Byakuya...Sama." I smiled back to him, more relaxed now that he seemed to be in a good mood (_despite our current situation_).

His gray eyes glowed a little in happiness, which actually showed on his usually stoic face. His smile nearly made me cry, the only time I had ever seen him smile was many years ago when he tried to comfort me (he was the only grown-up around at the time). My hands held tightly against his haori, and my head leaned into his chest for a second. I felt ridiculous being carried around like a child, but he didn't seem to mind as he started walking again. I probably would have let him taken me back if he hadn't stopped and sucked in a bit of breath harshly.

"Do you mind letting my girl down..._Oji?" _I heard his voice clearly say with venom lingering behind his words, a powerful pressure pushing down on the two of us.

"Oh, I'm your girl now Senpai?"

"Do we have to fight at this time Hikari? Don't petranize me, we can discuss this later when we're all safe."

I wanted to scream for what seemed like the thousandth time, but of course I couldn't bring myself to do such a thing. My eyes searched for a moment before they settled on Kouhei and his big blue arrow pointed straight at Byakuya. Miyuki was lingering right behind him with her little sprites around her just in case they needed a diversion. As if he knew what was about to happen, Byakuya set me onto the ground without a word. His warm and gentle touch left me instantly as he stepped forward to take on the Quincy. I kinda reached out for him, but then my attention was drawn to Kon who appeared out of nowhere and jumped into my arms. Byakuya saw this and sighed a little softly to himself, as if he knew I would step in when the time was right. Kouhei and him were about to fight, which gave Miyu the perfect opportunity to come and try to grab me.

"Not this time, little girl!" Rangiku's voice came out of nowhere as she jumped right in front of Miyuki with her sword in her hand.

I watched as the fake bravado in Miyu's eyes vanished almost instantly at the sight of another soul reaper. My body went towards them but then I saw Toshiro make a grab for me, which I pulled away from. He tried to grab me again, but I kicked his hand and crawled away towards some where no one could get me. Kon was silent the entire time, but he was trying his best not to intervene with my panicked moment.

"Oh goodness... what the hell. Honest to God, what the hell is wrong with my life?!"

The answer to that question was answered by the sounds of sword clatter and people screams. It was just unbelievable to know that both my friends and family were pretty much trying to kill each other just because of little old me. After what happened, I figured that for the rest of my life, it would just be me and my friends together forever. But now that my brother had to see me, everything went downhill and got even worse. And at the point where I truly started to tell myself that things would be okay, that I didn't really need my family as long as I had my friends around me. Why now, of all the times I had been here, why would they have to appear to me now, especially after what I did to Takashi.

_Are you just going to sit there, or are you gonna do something?  
>"What can I do <em>_K__yōfū__? Expose myself to the light and burn in hell?"_

_Well, would you rather have your friends die and then be exposed? Or die knowing that you saved your friends from being killed?  
>"... Dammit, why are you so good with these things?"<em>

_Because I'm smart, unlike you.  
>"I would punch you if I could."<em>

_Just find a way to get me out, I'm itching to get into a good fight right now.  
>"It's not that easy, first I need-"<em>

I stopped instantly and looked down at Kon, who was too busy to notice I had gone in my own little world. Urahara explained to me during training that Kon was a special thing to have around, since I knew him and all, it would be better for me to use him than anything else. Of course I retorted that I would be better off with either Ririn or Noba, but he insisted that Kon was better. I hesitated for a moment, it felt wrong to have such a perverted being inside my body while I fought, but after hearing Miyu scream out in pain, that was pushed away.

"Kon, you trust me don't you?"

"I do, do you?"

"Well... not really. But for now, yes." I said quickly as I reached into his mouth and pulled out the little candy ball without permission.

My hand played with it for a second before I flicked it into my mouth, a sweet yet bitter taste following after. I could feel the difference as I left my body and he entered in, as if he pushed me out. There was no sound for a moment before it all rushed back, which hurt my ears enough to send me down on my knees. Kon didn't see because he was all happy about being inside a human body again, but that only made me laugh. For a second.

"Touch my body or do anything crazy with it, I swear I will let Ririn torture you for the rest of your days."

He immediately stopped dancing and stood his ground, giving my face an unbelievably horrified expression. This sort of made me laugh despite the slowing down of fighting behind me, except when my friends tried to draw their attention back. It became clear after Miyu punched Rangiku that they were trying their best to make sure I wasn't put in the line of fire until the moment was right.

"Hey," His voice tickled the back of my ear as he grabbed onto my arm and tried to pull me away from it all.

"Your hair is cute short, but I liked it when it was long and flowy."

I pulled my arm away from his grasp and tried to get him away from me at all costs. Ichigo threw up his arms to show that he wasn't trying to hurt me, but my mind was ablaze with worry. I dropped my guard for one second, which gave him the perfect moment to seize me again. But my body fluidly moved away and left him dumbfounded until I tried to kick him.

"Hey, I'm not here to fight."

"Then why are you here? Why is everyone here?!"

"Hikari, relax a little."

"I'll relax when I find out the truth!" My voice came out high and screechy as he stepped forward to hold me.

I pretty much jumped away, but that only made him jump forward and tackle me to the ground. My hands were hitting against every part of his body, but it was hard to see where exactly. He grabbed onto them and held them tightly which made me even more mad. I used all the force I had to hit him over and over, but nothing seemed to be working. He slowly pushed against me so I was on the ground, all his strength kept me from moving all together. After my last attempt of getting away failed, my body just gave up and let him maneuver me so he could hold onto me. I cried into his chest for a second as he soothed the back of my head.

"It's okay... you're not in trouble. I understand why you had to do it."

"Ten years... ten long years and now you guys want to be back in my life. Why are you hurting me like this?"

"Believe me Hikari, I didn't want to come just yet. I would have waited a little longer and slowly incorporated us in so you wouldn't... but Takashi just wanted to see you."

"I know, but why did I have to leave in the first place, dad? What happened to me that made me so weak and vulnerable that you guys left me here in the first place?"

"I-I can't tell you-"

"Why not?!" I begged him as my hands pulled away so they could grab onto his shirt with my head still against it. "Why the hell not? I'm in deep shit right now, and you expect me to be calm about it?!"

"Hikari-"

"Is it because of the thing in me!?"

I heard something snap in him that day, something that was already on the brink of breaking but I just had to say the magic words. He pushed me onto the ground away from him and stood up so he was right above me. Where he hit against me stung, but the look on his face just made it even worse. I pulled out my sword and held it in front of me, because I was so afraid of him and what he was about to do to me.

"What... do you remember about that day? And be honest." He said in a softer voice as he calmed down at the sight of my blade.

"I-I remember we were here, you, me and Takashi. It was the afternoon, we were on run to see if there was anything Taka could do because he was still in the academy. S-Something came here, and then... this guy came and... I don't know, but I remember I got hurt."

"Anything else?"

"Not entirely, it's all a blur and my head is throbbing right now so there's nothing more that I can do."

"Throbbing?"

"Every time I try and remember, my head hurts so much and my chest just aches a little too. Like... my brain doesn't want me to know."

"Maybe that's for the best."

"It's not for the best! I need to know what happened?!"

"Why can't you just forget about it? Why bring it up after all these years?"

"Because I want to know the truth of what happened to me and why you left me here to be human!" I shouted back, still on the ground with the shaky sword in my hand to keep him at a distance.

"Why?! I wanted to protect you Hikari, that's why I left you here."

"Oh, job well done then! You'd expected me to be normal when all my friends got to run around with their own gifts. I wanted to be like that too, to show them how powerful I could be if I wanted to!"

"What did you want me to do?"

"I don't know... is there something inside of me?"

"I want you to understand-"

"Answer my question Ichigo, is there something inside of me right now? Something untouchable... is that why you left me here?"

"...Yes."

"What is it? What is it doing to me?"

"It's not doing anything to you, since then it's been dormant."

"Then why am I here? If it's no big deal, then why-"

"It's a very huge deal, and I thought if you weren't home then we could find a way to get it out of you without hurting you."

"So it's bad, if you guys don't have the guts to take it out."

"Hikari!" He scolded me, but I suddenly had the energy to stand and face my father head-on at last with the sword tightly in my grasp.

"What do you want me to say? _Thanks for thinking about me, don't worry about the fact that you're scarring me for life! _Is it turning me into a monster? Or has it already done that? Am I something I can't control? That you can't control!" I said as I stabbed the sword lightly against his exposed chest, which made him wince.

He stumbled back in shock and almost said something before he looked up and saw me crying. From the corner of my eye, I could see Byakuya trying to come to us, but Kouhei shot an arrow too close for comfort, so he decided to stay. I fumbled with my sword and stabbed it into the ground so I had something to hold on to. My throat was sore from all the screaming, and my eyes were burning with un-shed tears from before. My hands grabbed onto my hair, to try and dull the pain, but nothing worked.

"I just... I gotta know...please... What happened ten years ago, it's not like I died for a second or something right?"

"Hikari..."

"Ichigo? Tell me I didn't die or something crazy like that... did I?"

"Understand that it's all my fault, what happened was entirely my fault." He said so seriously that it made my heart thump unevenly with worry.

"I-Ichigo?"

"I tried to hard to protect you and your brother, I really did. He just... came out of nowhere when my guard was down. I-I thought he was gone forever!" Ichigo ranted as his face twisted in pain with tears in his eyes.

"Wait, what are you getting at? Come on, I'm right here dad. So that means I didn't die, right dad? I was just cut up because I was an easy target, so I'm not some sort of freak... right?"

"Light... the truth is-"

"Dammit, you said you wouldn't go bezerk!" Renji shouted out loud as something roared angrily into the air at his words.

Every last one of us froze as his reiatsu soared higher than ever before, his laughter echoing through the area. I turned around to see him with his claws at his side covered in bright red blood, his gray eyes hazy with power. He was smiling that sadistic grin again, but in his face he was in a lot of pain. The power he had ready to use to his disposal was still inside, because he was truly trying to hold back. But he had enough of Renji's beatings so he had nothing else to do but be crazy.

"Ciel no!" I shouted as I grabbed onto my sword and tried to get to my half-drunken with power friend.

However, Ichigo caught up with me before I used my _sunido _and tackled me to the ground again. I watched with fury as Ciel's power grew harder and harder to ignore, the look in his eyes changing by the minute. My body thrashed in my father's arm as everyone else slowly began to try and subdue him.

"Don't go near him!"

"But Ichigo, he's my friend! I'm the only one who can calm him down!"

"Hikari don't, you'll get in trouble! Believe me!"

"As if forcing Takashi to give me his power hasn't done that already! I can live with it, Ciel can't! Now let me go father!" I shouted in anger as I kicked his stomach hard enough to loosen his grip.

"Hikari don't!" He said as he tried to make a grab for me, but I was already pushing Renji out of Ciel's way just as he shouted my name.

I felt a sharp pain in my arm as his hand sliced through the air, but it wasn't enough for him. Renji managed to get away before he tried again, but I was behind him before he did anything to me again. He froze out of confusion, which gave me the opportunity to jump onto his back. They all watched as I threw my arms around his neck and tried to calm him down, while being thrown around like a bucking bronco.

"Ciel it's alright! I'm right here! Enough is enough!" I shouted right into his ear as I tried to head-lock him, but that only angered him more.

He growled ferociously as he tried to knock me off his back so he could get back to killing Renji. I managed to stay on as long as I could until he reached over his head and grabbed onto my back. His hands roughly grasped my cloth and thew me right off his shoulders into a tree. My body impacted against the trunk with a loud crunch, the entire thing imploded itself as my head hit against it. White hot pain flashed before my very eyes again as my body slumped over and onto the ground. I could feel the blood rushing out as a piercing scream filled the air at the sight of my twisted body.

"HIKARI!" Ciel screamed at the top of his lungs as he crumbled to the floor out of guilt and regret.

By now, he was probably crying in his knees as Miyu risked being killed so she could comfort him. Kouhei was cursing at himself and all the grownups while Miyu was sobbing into her hands over me. I heard Ichigo shouting my name over and over as they scrambled to decide what to do next. But then someone's shadow stepped forward over me, and blocked most of the sun from my already fading eyes.

_Geez, you're such a hot mess.  
>"<em>_Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū__...? You sound... different. Is everything... alright?"_

_Relax Queenie, everything's gonna be fine.  
>"Q-Queenie? Now we have pet names too?"<em>

_Let me... take it from here.  
>"Why do I have the feeling I shouldn't let you... that?"<em>

_Aw, what's that matter? Don't trust me? That's good, because you shouldn't.  
>"G-Get away from me."<em>

_Oh, I can't do that Queenie. Not anymore. Thanks for setting me free, you're little friend did such a good job for so long.  
>"N-No... what did you-"<em>

_Ah-ah! Time for you, to just give up.  
>"N-Never."<em>

_That's the spirit Queenie!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ugh, I do apologize if something seems left out. But... ta-da! What's gonna come next? What's with the voice in her head anyway!? Did she die for a moment all those years ago? You just gotta wait it out!<br>Stay tuned!_**


	14. Scattered Around My Home

_**Ugh, I got this done before my trip... yay. I hope you guys like it, sorry if it seems a little repeating. But bear with me, thanks for reading my story! I'm so happy that people like it, it makes me all giddy inside. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p><span><strong>Kouhei's POV<strong>

I woke up in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar presence that seemed to never fade away the entire time I was there. It felt wrong in general to be there, but as my eyes looked around there was no sure way of getting out. The room seemed a lot bigger than any place I had ever been, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable for my taste. My chest was in pain, but that was nothing compared to what happened to Hikari.

The last thing I remember was that she was thrown against a tree by a hopped-up-on-power Ciel, who instantly regretted his actions. I watched in horror as she fell limply to the ground and stayed there for what felt like forever. The man I was fighting looked like he was ready to kill somebody, and I couldn't blame him. But as Ichigo and the red-head stepped towards her, they rapidly backed away as something pushed down on all of us.

**"Heh...ah-ha-ha..." **Hikari laughed incoherently as she pushed up from the ground to stand on her feet.

We all were scared at that moment, as soon as she stood up practically everyone stepped backwards away from her... Away! For god's sake, we were fighting just moments ago to see where she would be, and now something freaky happens and we back off like we don't want to be apart of it. Well, I can't deny that I backed off, but only because I didn't understand what was happening. But judging by Ichigo's expression, he knew exactly what happened to her, yet he refused to say anything.

Her pressure was too much, at least for the three young people (_me, Ciel and Miyu_) so we all fell to the ground. I struggled to keep looking towards her, but my loss of blood could have contributed to my unconsciousness. But I do recall one thing that still haunts the back of my head: her eyes.

Hikari's usually warm and gentle chocolate brown eyes were unnaturally sky blue. There was a smile full of malice as she exploited all her reiatsu for the fun of it. Her aura surrounding her was light blue as well, and it kept getting stronger and stronger. As I fell to the ground and lost consciousness, Ichigo came up to her and punched her right in her stomach. I vaguely heard a collection of gasps, but almost immediately her aura disappeared along with her blue eyes. She collapsed right into his arms, and then things got a little hazy.

Now, I was alone in this god forsaken room with no one around to tell me what the hell was going on. There was no sign of Hikari, Ciel or Miyuki around me for what felt like miles. As I struggled to stand on my own two feet, the scent of flowers flew through the air. It instantly made me think of Hikari's uncle, Byakuya as she called him. It was the exact same scent I smelled off him as we fought in the park.

I slowly realized that we weren't in the Human World anymore, the kinds of things I found in the room were too old and different to have in our world. There was a weird screeching coming from outside, and since there was nothing else to do, I decided to open the door and see what the hell it was.

"Oh... holy shit."

Outside my room, was an almost magical world that seemed fake to me even from such a close distance. Dark green grass filled as far as the eye could see, or at least until it hit the sidewalk which was pretty far down. There was a river flowing through the yard with koi fish jumping up every now and then. There were a few lingering trees around the compound, except for a lone bright colored kind. It was hard to tell what kind it was, but when the wind blew it's flowers towards me, it became clear it was a _sakura _tree, a pretty young one at that.

"So... beautiful." I mumbled to myself as the flower petals continued to taunt me by flowing softly through the yard.

"If only... everyone was here to see this... or has.. Hikari seen it already?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ciel's POV<strong>

"Ah!" I screamed unintentionally as I felt something wrap itself around my neck so tightly I thought I would die.

My body flew forward up and sent me against the cold unforgiving ground. I groaned angrily as my arms scooted under me so my face couldn't touch the ground. Once my eyes were able to see normally, it became clear that I wasn't home. Or most likely, anywhere near home.

"What... the heck?"

My hands felt around my face and neck to make sure there really was nothing there, but the only thing I could feel was my mask (_which seemed even more broken than before_). I tried to find my choker, but I wasn't wearing my normal clothes, but a light yukata. From the look of things it seemed that I was the only one in the room, or what should have been a training room. There were mats all around, and the smell of sweat mixed with blood wafted through every little inch. It churned my stomach even more as I tried to remember what happened earlier on.

"Hikari...Hikari!"

Everything hit me like a speeding bullet, the pain of remembering what an awful thing I did to Hikari. She was only trying to save me, like she said she would even though I let her down. Fighting that pineapple-head was hard, and I debated over and over to not use my _ressurecion_. But when he nearly killed me, there was no way I could just hold back and let him get away with it. I guess that I used to much energy, so that's why my power over took me to the point where I went bezerk. Even he yelled at me, despite almost being killed by my hands if Hikari hadn't knocked him away.

_"Shit, what the hell is wrong with me?" _I asked myself as I banged my head against the floor a couple of times.

_"I nearly killed Hikari, can't believe I threw her over my shoulder! What the hell was that?! That could have seriously, the snapping-Oh holy shit was that loud. I'm surprised that I'm not dead yet, what are they waiting for? Considering the fact that I'm an arrancar, his son to be exact... maybe they'll make me their test subject, who knows? I just hope my friends are alright, and Hikari is safe...where is she anyway? Where's anyone?!"_

"Time to get up Ciel, let's be a big boy here." My voice came out a little shaky as I tried to stand up from the ground with a little broken faith.

I should have realized that my body was in no condition to move, but maybe with the lack of blood in me, it made me forget. Whatever the case was, when I reached above to hold onto the bar (_which just so happened to be there_) and put pressure on my feet, there was instant pain. My ankle gave out under me so I fell forward, and brought the bar along with me so there was a huge clatter after my face made contact with the floor. Blood seeped through the cloth now along my arms and stomach, which was not a good sign.

"Son of a bitch..." I growled angrily to myself as I rolled onto my back so there would be less pain against my stomach.

Tears streamed down my face for a second, until I heard laughter to the side of me. But when I looked over, there was no one there except for a few broken swords. In my head, I could picture all my friends making fun of me for freaking out too easily. Miyu and her brother would be standing up next to each other, her arm wrapped around his to keep herself up. But Hikari... Hikari would be squatting next to me while smiling right at me. Her hand would brush some hair out of my face, and then she would say something like:

_"Moron, there's nothing to freak out about." _Or she would say _"Can't ya calm down a little Ciel? You're not being a big boy acting like that."_

Just thinking about them like that made my heart calm down enough to sit up. I could picture her laughing as I got up, totally unaware of my arm. It would reach around her neck and pull her into my chest which would make the Ishidas laugh even more. Then I would feel her growl into my stomach as she tried to push away, but my grip would be too strong so she would have to stay. I could imagine the feel of her soft body in my arms right then and there, her head against my chest as she looked up to me with her big blue eyes-

_Bang!_

A door suddenly opened with a loud noise, not in the careful way but a more western saloon way. There were two people standing in the doorway as I shifted my body so I could face them a little better. The first guy I saw was a pretty-boy, with a long braid to the side of his face along with bright colored feathers. He scowled disapprovingly at me for a moment until he saw my eyes, and then there was a moment of awe. I was confused until the other man, a tough-looking baldy with red markings under his eyes like Grimmjow's blue ones stepped forward.

"Good morning little arrancar-boy." He growled in anticipation which sent shivers straight along my spine.

"G-Good morning?"

"Looks like you could use some help there." Pretty-boy smiled kindly at me, but there was a dark aura around him, so I shook my head.

"N-No no! I'm good, I can manage on my own thanks."

"Oh but we insist... what kind of people would we be if we didn't help out?" Pretty-boy laughed as Baldy stepped forward with his arms out.

"No really guys, I'm totally..." I laughed awkwardly as my body scooted against the floor until it hit the wall.

"Son of a bitch."

* * *

><p><strong>Miyuki's POV<strong>

I woke up in a hazy state, what with all the hand-to-hand fighting I did with that busty lady earlier. She was incredible, I had never fought so much with someone in forever (_I'm in the Karate Club at school for safety reasons) _so my body was super sore. It confused me how such a woman with a chest like hers could move so fluidly and straight to the point-

Sorry, lost my train of thought for a moment.

Back to reality, there was nothing around me which gave me a clue where I was. The only thing I could tell about it was it was an office, a messy one at that. The desk on the other side of me was covered in papers, with some of them along the floor. When I tried to get up and clean it up, something rattled against my ankle and pulled tight. My body nearly fell to the floor if I hadn't grabbed onto the head of the couch for dear life.

"Whoa, didn't see that coming." I sighed out in relief as my hand reached for my necklace, but only came to empty air.

It was funny, never in my entire life had I taken off that necklace except for when I went swimming or took a shower. Now that someone else purposely took it off, dread and panic filled up my insides almost instantly. The feeble cries inside my head were starting to fade, their voices weak until I couldn't hear them at all. I loved my spirits as much as they loved me, though it took me awhile to find them. Mother explained to me that it was a miracle that I had her powers, she was so happy and joyful that afternoon. But now, they were gone and there was no way I could tell where they went to.

"B-Bara? Jaque? Hana? S-Sai! Nekuta?" I shouted all their names, but as I feared, they couldn't answer me back.

Now I knew how Hikari felt, alone and sad without anyone to talk to in the darkest of times. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the pain of what I saw came back to me in a flash, all the blood and screams of the people as she hit the tree. It was excruciating to watch, but what made it even worse was Ciel's horrified expression when he calmed down. I never knew he couldn't control his powers yet, although Hikari warned me countless times. I felt awful thinking that she could have been messing with me, when after all this time she was telling the truth.

For a while, ever since what happened between her and C.J I had been trying to be wary of her. shouldn't have been, Hikari was always around for me even before I knew her well. And she knew Ciel the best, not me like I wanted to. Maybe why I ignored her for the most part was because I was a little jealous of her friendship with him. Whatever the cause, it made me make the worst decision of my entire life.

"Where am I? What is this place?" I asked myself as I got up from the couch and carefully tried to see how far I could go.

The chain rattled as I got to the desk, but when I tried to get to the window it pulled back on me. My side ached in horrible pain, worse than a mere bruise or scratch would at the moment. I grasped hard onto the edge of the desk and focused my energy on making sure no more horrible sounds could escape from me. Once the numbness came through, I looked out the window and nearly screamed my head off.

"This... is nothing like home." My voice was quiet as I watched the little people in black clothing walk back and forth with stoic faces.

I ran to the second window and saw the exact same thing, only on this side there were more of them lolly-gagging around. My feet were in pain as I stumbled back to the desk to read what the papers had on them. There was a reoccurring insignia, many seals of approval, and pools of lost ink beside the crumbled up pieces of paper. Each one had the same seals of wax, and neat hand-writing of importance over them.

"Oh no... no no no... why are we here?! Why didn't they just leave us home?!"

All of this started to give me a head rush, and the fact that I heard people coming my way did not help. I tried to hurry back before they came, but I twisted around the wrong way and fell to the floor. My bum hit first, and then my head which gave me an even worse reason to cry out loud to myself. The chain around my ankle tightened so that was cutting into my skin, which made me cry out for no goddamn reason.

"Oh... that's gonna leave a mark." I growled unintentionally as I rolled off my bad side and onto my back.

All I could do know was wait for whomever was coming to see me in pain on the floor. I stared up to the ceiling for a few minutes until a thought made me laugh. If my friends had seen me fall like I did, they would have laughed at me. Well... maybe not. I bet Kouhei would have chuckled and say something like:

_"Can't you act like a normal person, Miyu?"_

And Ciel... Oh he would probably break down and crawl over to me on his knees. His big gray eyes would glance up and down my entire body until he said:

_"Oh my little Fairy! Are you alright? Do you need me to get help or something?"_

Last but not least, Hikari. She would most likely laugh her little ass off until it brought her to the floor. Then knowing her, she would roll over until she was beside me and smile so warmly at me it would make my heart thump loudly.

_"Aw Miyu, you're so cute when you make dirty noises like that. Need a little assistance there?"_

Just thinking about them made me feel ten times better than before I fell to the floor. I would have most likely stayed there if the people weren't so loud and obnoxious-like. My body just reflexively got up and jumped right back into the couch as the door opened. Two people walked through the door with wide eyes at the sight of me (most likely because I was awake). Seeing them just took my breath away, and all I could say was

"Oh holy cow."

* * *

><p><strong>Hikari's POV<strong>

_Wake up, oh for the love of-Wake the hell up!_

"I-I'm up! Stop yelling at me!" I gasped out loud as anger rose up in me for no good reason whatsoever.

My eyes fluttered open to see nothing, but only momentarily as the pain shot right up my stomach. I fell forward back to the ground, my arms around my stomach to ease the pain a little better. I knew that no one was around, so I let out a vicious scream that I wanted to get out of my system. My head was throbbing like no one's business, the sensation of hitting the tree could not get away quick enough.

"Geez Louise... my head..." I gasped as some blood dribbled down my lip from when Ichigo punched me in the stomach.

Ah that's right! After being thrown into the tree, something happened and I myself nearly went bezerk. Something came over me, but it felt so natural that I kinda caved in and allowed it to. If Ichigo hadn't done what he did, then maybe something bad would have happened.

_"T-That was you, wasn't it __K__yōfū__? Thanks I guess."  
>You have any idea where we are! What you did!?<em>

_"No not really, what did I do?"  
>You let me go crazy! If your old man hadn't punched you I swear we would have killed them all!<em>

_"Whoa, take it easy K__yōfū__... You went crazy?"  
>It's a long story, and I still don't have all the details. But there's definitely something wrong with me, I'm not like your average spirit.<em>

_"Well, I am a visored now... maybe that has to do something with-"  
>But Hikari! I've always been like this, as long as I could remember. Well, I don't remember but I feel like I have been like this forever!<em>

"F-Forever?" I mumbled to myself as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room, where everything became clear once and for all.

I was in the _Senzaikyū, _the same place where they held my mother when she was in trouble. There was a small sliver where you could see the bridge, but no one was in sight. I tried to grab my sword, but it was gone (like that wasn't obvious to begin with). But it was strange, the fact that without my sword, _Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū _was still talking to me. Maybe she was different than other _zanbaktou _spirits, maybe there was something wrong with my soul...

"What the hell... why am I locked up like some criminal? What bad thing did I do! Hello!" I shouted into the sliver as I bashed my hands against the wall.

It was maddening, the whole idea that I was put in here after all this time made me feel terrible. I wasn't a criminal, how could they treat me this way after putting me through hell as a child! I did nothing wrong the entire time, so there shouldn't have been a reason for me to be locked up in the white tower. It made no sense, no sense at-

"Oh no... no... Kouhei! Miyuki! Ciel!" I screamed as I sensed their reiatsu all around the Seireitei, weak yet able to keep steady.

"Why! Why did you bring them here! They shouldn't be here, anyone?!"

Of course no one answered, or ignored my horrible screams to the point where I nearly passed out. After choking on my own breath I gave up on getting anyone's attention and went back to the wall. I slide down against it and curled up into my knees so I could muffle my cries a little better. My blood-soaked hakama from earlier was now a clean white one that seemed to fit perfectly to my body. For some reason, I was not wearing shoes, so the bottom of my feet were dirty from walking back and forth. But I didn't care, I was a criminal in the eyes of my home, and I didn't even know why.

"I'm... I'm going to die here aren't I?"

"That's right sugar bear, you are." A man's voice answered my question as he knocked against the wall.

" 'S-Sugar bear?' What kind of lame name is that? Who are you, are you just mocking me?" I answered back in retaliation, my body slowly making my way to see who was there.

Outside, there was a young boy about Takashi's age with dazzling blonde hair that sparkled in the light. He saw me looking, so he titled his head towards me so I could see his face better. There was a peculiar scar along his chin as he smiled a little too nicely to me, which sent me away. I watched as he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was around before he leaned in closer to make sure no one hear us. The tip of his hilt glistened in the light, and the badge around his arm showed him to be a fourth seat in a division.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such an ass to you. I'm not here to mock, I'm here to guard."

"You're guarding me?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No, it's just that I'm a little confused as to why they sent you. S'not like I'll break out of here, at least not yet."

"Well, for obvious reasons you're a criminal. And your little friends are prisoners-"

"Prisoners! Why are they prisoners?!"

"Don't ask me, I only guard when asked."

"Well, at least they're not in here like me. I guess they're scattered all around the Seireitei aren't they?"

"Oh you're so smart, that's what I like about you already. People say you're so interesting and smart, and it's true. Name's Nezu by the way, little Kurosaki."

"It's Hikari. Hikari as in _light. _Just in case you were wondering Nezu-San. And what people talked about me?"

"Oh everyone sweetheart! You caused quite the uproar when your brother returned without his powers. And now the rumors about you befriending an arrancar are true is incredible! I gotta give you props."

"Why did it take so long for them to come and get me? Why let me train for the most part and get back my powers if I was already in trouble."

"Don't know, the system here is whack beyond control. A lot of people actually wanted you to stay over there, brush it under the carpet per say.

"But the Kuchki family, and the top people too... they couldn't just ignore it."

"Hey! That's right, how did you know?"

"...Lucky guess." I sighed a little sadly which made him try to make me smile through the crack.

When all his weak attempts failed, he just groaned to himself and laughed out loud to my enjoyment. His bright teal eyes looked back to me and then to the sky to make sure no one was around. Then when he came back, I sighed again and rested my back against the door so I could still talk to him. He realized what I did, so I listened to him grunt and puff to himself as he did the same thing.

"How long until the execution?"

"Don't know, they're fighting about it right now. But when that comes out, you'll be the first to know, sweetheart."

"Thanks... I guess."

"I have to run, got some other business to attend to. But I'll be coming right back, alright? You won't be too lonely?"

"I've been alone for a long time, s'not something new to me."

"Ow, you really know how to depress people huh?"

"I've heard that too, but does it look like I care?"

I could tell he was looking at me with pity-filled eyes, but I tried my best to ignore it. Without another word, he went off to god-knows-where and left me alone. His reiatsu disappeared from me within minutes, as if he stepped inside a building that blocked it from me. I located my friends, and sighed a little in relief since they all were in safe hands. Well, two out of... okay one out of three were in safe hands. The other two were pretty much in hell for a good while until the execution. Whenever that would be...

"This is all my fault... again. I-I'm so sorry guys... sorry..."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Well, there ya go. She's finally back home, but as a criminal!? What kind of rules have taken place in the time that she was gone? Why are her friends there too? Will she be able to get away before the execution? Hopefully for her, her friends will be able to make some allies while in captivity, that's the only thing they can do.<em>**

**_Hope you enjoyed this one! Tell me if something seems a bit off to you, and I'll try and fix it in the best way possible.  
>Thanks ever so much! <em>**


	15. Amethysts and a Pink Cat

**_Hi guys I'm back from my trip up to Northern California! San Francisco was so cold, but it was exciting to see all the stuff there! But I also missed being here, so here's a new chapter for you guys!  
><em>Enjoy!**

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><p><span><strong>Kouhei's POV<strong>

I watched the outside world for a few minutes, since there was nothing I could do. It felt so serene and calm, yet I was antsy and wanted to get out of that place at once. But it wasn't easy, first of all my ankle was chained up so I couldn't even walk outside. Second, my pentacle was missing, which suggested that these guys had done their research on me. Being in such a state, I hoped that everyone else wasn't as bad off as me (_although in my head I knew that Hikari was probably the worst of us all_).

_"Ugh, how am I going to get out of here? I wonder where my sister is, and of course C.J... Hikari must be alright too, after all this place is her home. Maybe she's running around like before... however-"_

Suddenly, there was a splash from the little river which drew my attention to a large red_ koi_ fish. He seemed to want me to watch him, but the birds made too much noise for me to pay all my focus on him. It all went back to a peaceful mood, at least for a few seconds. Then there was this swish sound like someone was practicing with a sword, followed by a huge crash of a heavy-looking dummy.

_"Oh shit, are you kidding me?" _My face must have been seriously red as I watched the man swing his sword again at a second dummy.

It was the same captain that held Hikari, her uncle...not the red-head but the other guy. No wonder the the scent of the room was familiar, this must be his home or something. I wanted to start tearing things up, but then he suddenly grunted loud enough for me to hear. His sword hit against the dummy without some sort of technique, like all sword fighters (_especially captains_) should have. I started to believe that he just wanted to hit something because he was angry about something, which showed as he pretty much stabbed the doll about fifty times in a row.

It collapsed to the ground in a messy pile, if there was blood most of it would be splattered on his pretty little face. Just imagining the thought gave me the chills, until he stabbed the sword into the ground and turned my way. I thought my heart would give out as I slammed the door and scooted until my back hit the wall. There was a moment of silence where I could only hear the sounds of my heart beating when the door slammed open.

"Shit." I said as the captain stood there with a tight grasp against the door, an evil glare in his eyes.

Normally, I wouldn't have been so freaked out like that, but without my pentacle and the fact my chest was now bleeding profusely, there was no way I could win in a fight. Besides, it wasn't fair that my ankle was chained like an animal, I would have had limited space to move. He stared at me for a while in silence, as if he was debating on his next move. I thought he was going to mock me or something when he stepped past me without so much as a glance and exited the room. He casually left the door open, knowing that I couldn't touch it or at least get close enough to shut it, and that kinda pissed me off.

"Are you serious... what a douche, nearly giving me a heart-attack like that." I grumbled under my breath as someone came down the hall with light steps and an angry sigh.

"Oh my goodness!" She cried out in anger as her hands suddenly pulled at my shirt to reveal the fresh wound against my chest.

She was kneeling in front of me, but even from the floor it was clear that she was a very short and petite woman. Her hair was bobbed but had one piece in the middle of her face, like she didn't care if it was there. I watched in amazement as her expressions quickly turned from a concerned look to a scowl as she began to raise me up. Without realizing it, I let my body go with the flow but since my height was an incredible difference to her, she backed off a little. Then when her heart stopped thumping loudly, she reached around my arm and lead me to a chair and forcibly pushed me into it.

"Do you mind removing your shirt?." She demanded me as her cold violet eyes angrily stared at my half-opened shirt without so much as a blush.

"Oh um.. sure."

It took me a while to get it off, my body winced at every little movement I made until it came off. Bright red blood was seeping through the weak attempt of someone's bandages, which made her groan a little to herself. She stood up and walked out the room without so much as a word or glance towards me. Moments later, she returned with a huge white box which appeared to be full of fresh bandages and medicinal supplies.

"Honestly, he could have done a better job than this..."

"...Good morning."

Hey eyes shot up a dirty look at me, her hands that grasped onto the bandages tightened as if she was holding herself back from hitting me. If I was her, then I would have slapped the wound against my chest, threw the supplies and walked out the room. To be honest I wasn't trying to be dick, I just wanted to say "good morning".

"I... really do mean good morning, I wasn't trying to be inappropriate."

"No... I'm sorry, good morning." She replied in an embarrassed voice as a small blush rose on her cheeks at last, which kind of made her cute.

"If you don't mind answering this, but why am I here?"

"Can't say, so don't ask me."

"Okay, then where am I? Can you answer that for me?"

"Obviously, in the Soul Society. To be exact, the Kuchki Family Manor."

"Wait, I'm in that captain's home? Is that even safe?"

"Oh relax. It's better than the jail cells they were originally going to put you children in. But after seeing how badly injured you all were, you three were put into places where you can heal and be watched over."

"The chain?"

"Just a little precaution."

"And Hikari...? You said us three, but there should be four, including Hikari. Where's she staying?"

At this, she stopped rubbing the ointment on my wound and sat there for a second in silence. I thought I had just hit a sore spot, but by the look in her eyes it turned out to be the mother-load. Her violet eyes started to swell up with tears, which of course she tried to hide from me. I waited as she silently composed herself to a point where she could talk normally. My eyes wandered off as her hands brushed a few stray tears from her cheek. I panicked, so I tried to think of something that would draw her attention to a different light.

"You're very nice."

"Thanks." She said in a soft voice, but that didn't make the tense atmosphere better between us.

_"Shit, this isn't good. If I want to get out of here safely, I'll have to be nice to people... but I hate people. Focus Kouhei! This is for Hikari, Miyu and C.J. But there's got to be an easier way to-wait... violet eyes...Hikari said someone... I got it."_

"You know, you remind me of someone... my special someone told me about."

Her eyes lite up at the mention of the word, _special, _like she hadn't heard it in a long time. I could see that she instantly knew who I was talking about, but of course she had to play alone. There was a small smile on her face as she continued to patch me up. But as she did, her eyes would glance up to me and tell me to keep going.

"And this special person... who is she?"

"Someone... I really care for."

"Oh?" Her voice got a little excited but she hid it well as her body leaned back to grab the bandages and more ointment.

"Yeah, I realize I sound a little crazy and that I'm your prisoner... but my _girlfriend _wasn't a liar. She said she was a special woman whom she loved ever since she was little, someone she couldn't easily forget."

It was clear as day when she heard me use that word, the light in her eyes shone so brightly it was adorable. But being in such a situation as mine, she hid it with a small laugh under her hand. She smiled to herself as she started to wrap my torso with gentler hands than before. I decided to keep going as she stared up at me with a smile.

"She said this woman had dark black hair like the midnight sky, which always seemed to be right above her shoulders. And her eyes, oh, she would melt when she dared to mention them..."

"What did she say?" Her voice came out shyly with laughter as she tried to keep it inside from me.

"You're going to love this: she said that when she was younger, she liked to believe that her eyes were amethysts... amethysts that shone so brightly whenever they looked up to the man with flaming hair-"

"Oh that girl has gone too far this time... she would always run around and tell people her father's hair was actually fire. But I didn't think she knew what amethysts were... that Byakuya..."

"Wait, she would actually tell people that? That's so cute..."

"This girl...? What do you like about her?"

"Well, there are a lot of things I like about her. That fact that she's so cute and adorable with her big brown eyes and pouty lips. Or when she smiles, especially her bright ones... that just come out when we need them the most. And of course how she's capable of helping people when they don't say what's bothering them. But there are also things I love about her..."

"Like what?" The older woman choked out softly as she listened to me say these things about Hikari.

"Like how she tries her best, even when she knows she'll lose. How she won't ever give up on you, no matter what odds you're at. She might be a year younger than me, but she's wise and strong beyond anyone else. I guess that's why... I like her so much. Because she can find a way to get under your skin, in a good way of course."

At this, she chuckled out loud without trying to hide the tears that rimmed around her eyes. I felt bad, but when she smiled up to me it was clear that she was okay. After shaking her head she quickly finished re-wrapping me and packed everything up. I watched her make it to the doorway before stopping midway to turn back to me.

"Hey... what's your name?"

"Kouhei... Kouhei Ishida."

"Mine's Rukia Kuchki... well technically it's Kurosaki." Rukia laughed softly as tears streamed down her face at last, her expression full of relief.

"It's very nice to finally meet you in person... Mrs. Kurosaki." I said in a quiet voice as I got up to stand as close as possible, my hand extended out towards her.

"As to you... Little Ishida."

* * *

><p><span><strong>Ciel's POV<strong>

_"Shit, why is it always me that has to be in these serious situations?"_

"Come on, we're not going to hurt you... much." Pretty Boy laughed nonchalantly as Baldy got closer and closer.

"Honestly guys, you don't have to worry about little old me."

As soon as those words left my mouth, Baldy stopped and Pretty Boy pretty much imploded on himself. Both of them looked like they snapped as the rage from deep inside came out crystal clear. I wanted to ask them what I did wrong, but then I realized I said what Hikari liked to say a lot. It was just a force of habit, it shouldn't have meant much to them... but then when I glanced back it clicked. They knew her, they knew the little things that made Hikari, well, Hikari. And having to watch over me while she was only-Glob-knew-where probably pissed them off. Especially if I was the one that nearly killed her with a tree.

The odds were not in my favor.

"No... we don't."

"But orders are orders."

I nodded my head in defeat, my body still against the wall in fear of being mauled by these guys. Baldy came forward with his hands out to grab onto my shirt, which of course made me flinch. He was rough, his hands pretty much scratched my neck as I was lifted off the ground for the first time in my entire life. I didn't realize it, but this dude was tall, tall enough to make my feet dangle like little puppets. He sneered at me, as if he knew I couldn't fight back, but come on, it was pretty obvious to begin with.

He threw me onto a bed, the kind that they have in hospitals with wheels so it rolled back a little. He and his friend came forward again, but I started to freak out a little on the inside. My body shifted so that I was sitting on the edge of the bed, but he pushed his hand against me and forced my body back. It gave me a head rush, plus all the fear inside of me wasn't mixing well so I was in total chaos. I thought I was in a horror movie, where the bad guys tortured you while the hero was so close yet too far to save you.

All I wanted to do was get away, to find my friends and get the hell out of here. Was that so much to ask for a sixteen year old boy? I just wanted to go home, where I knew I wasn't prejudiced because of who I was-

"Hey! Be nice!" A child-like voice called from above as she jumped right on Baldy's head and knocked him to the ground.

Pretty Boy had to muffle a scream as Baldy jumped right back up and went beside his friend, their eyes showed how much they were afraid. He had to hold onto his nose, because the girl's impact left him bleeding and confused. She landed gracefully onto the floor, her bright pink hair floated down with a cross-bone hair clip to the side of it. I had to admit it, but with that clip it made her a little more fierce, especially when she glared angrily towards the two guys. Her dark pink eyes stared right at them as she pointed her finger towards them.

"Kenny said NOT to rough him up! He's been hurt enough, and we promised to help him heal enough so he could then fight back for himself. Remember!" She scolded them, her aura so strong and intimidating it scared both of them.

"Y-you're right Yachiru..."

"We were just messing with him... honest."

She turned to me at this, her eyes looked deeply into me as if they wanted me to say something. But I didn't really have anything to say about them, in one way or another I knew they were messing with me. And, not to be a douche or anything, I could have fought them if I had my sword. Or even without my sword, I had practiced with Hikari plenty of times when we were younger (_and when she wasn't as depressed about being left behind, I think we were seven?_). She always told me I shuold know a little hand-to-hand combat just in case something happened... I guess this was what she meant.

"Well... alright then! But if you guys dare to hurt him in anyway, I will never forgive you! You hear me Baldy? Pretty Boy?!" Yachiru angrily said to them as she emitted her reiatsu in the form of an angry pink cat.

I gasped a little in shock as the two guys just left without really saying anything, slamming the door behind them. Once they were gone, I sat more comfortably and tried to get off for my own selfish needs. But she quickly came to my side and forced me to say put with a gentle expression. She helped me get a little more comfortable on the bed before she smiled up to me with her big pink eyes.

"Feel a little better?" She laughed childishly at me, which made me chuckle a little under my breath.

"Yeah a little, but my ankle is killing me."

"That's 'cause you and Renji were fighting so roughly, but he says it probably happened when Hika jumped on your back. It's just sprained, so it should heal in no time if you rest."

"Really? Oh geez, I really need to learn how to control myself better..."

"Did you really go bezerk? I thought _Arrancars_ were able to control themselves?" She asked me in an innocent voice, her hand grazing the side of my mask without a care in the world.

"Well, normally they can but I'm not like the first generation. We learned from a real young age how to control ourselves, but I got away so I never got the training."

"So you were born as an _arrancar_?"

"Something like that, we're like little copies with half our "parents" DNA... but we have our own personalities with theirs mixed in."

"So, Grimmjow's your dad?"

"Technically speaking, yes he is. I don't really remember _Hueco Mundo_, because he took me out after growing a soft spot for me. I guess he wanted me to be better that what he was back then, but without proper training, I'm just a ticking bomb."

"Isn't that scary? For you?"

"A little, I don't use my _resurrecion _unless needed. I'm a pretty good fighter when I have my sword, it's just controlling my reiatsu."

"Sounds like a pretty normal problem."

"Yeah, I guess you can say that. I would have used my _resurrecion _to help Hikari if I hadn't gone bezerk like I did."

"She can stop you, can't she?"

"Yeah... she can."

"I like your hair, it's so much like Grimmjow's but only brighter! And it's soft... soft and blue." Yachiru said in a quiet voice as she started to brush my hair with gentle hands.

"Thank you, that's kinda what Hikari told me. But she also called me a blueberry."

"But you are a blueberry! You would be a super blueberry if you also had blue eyes!"

"There goes my self-esteem..."

At this, she bursted out with laughter, so much that she nearly fell off the bed. Her laugh was so intoxicating and comforting that I had to laugh with her. I tried to suppress it for a while, but as she let little tears roll down her cheek, it was nearly impossible. Our laughter echoed through the entire room, I wouldn't have been surprised if it went throughout the entire building. It was a while before we settled down, my stomach in pain from all the laughter. She gracefully jumped off the bed and twirled on her heel to look back to me.

"What's your name by the way?"

"Ciel... Ciel Jagerjaque. But everyone just calls me C.J for short."

"Mine's Yachiru Kusajishi, but everyone calls me Yachiru!"

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><p><strong><em>Here you guys go, I hope you liked this one. I'm sorry if Yachiru and Rukia seem a little off to you, I'll try harder with writing them in. So is it a good story so far? At least these guys have it easy, for now at least.<br>Leave some reviews and what-nots if you liked it. I'll be writing more, at least before school starts.  
>Thanks for reading!<em>**


	16. New Allies and Bitter Confrontations

_**Here you guys go, another chapter. Hope you like it, and again, sorry if the normal characters seem a bit off to you. I'll work on that.  
>Anyways! Enjoy! Leave a review or two if you don't mind!<strong>_

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><p><strong>Miyuki's POV<strong>

"Oh wow..." I mumbled out of fascination as something practically smothered my face without warning, taking my breath away.

"Rangiku, please don't shove your face in her face. You'll smother her."

"Oops, sorry Captain!" The woman giggled to herself as she pulled her chest out of my face so I could breath normally.

I choked on my breath as she stepped back to give me some room, a kind smile on her face. It was clear that she was the same woman from before, but in my situation there was no way I could fight her. But it didn't look like she wanted to fight, she was genuinely worried about me now that we were alone. Her soft blue eyes were gentle and her smile was the warmest that I had ever seen.

"It would be appropriate to move to the side now." The voice from earlier continued, just from hearing it made me think he was rolling his eyes behind her back.

"Aw, you're no fun, Captain. I'm the one she fought not you..." She grumbled to herself as she moved to the other side of the couch so she could lean against the edge.

Bright teal eyes met mine instantly once her body was to the side of me, which seemed to pierce through my walls. It was strange to see such a figure in front of me, he was so short compared to everyone else I had seen. He looked no bigger than me, and that probably made him burn with rage inside. I watched in silence as he stepped forward and grabbed onto my ankle, my eyes wide in confusion as he unlocked the chain without a word.

"You probably want to move freely while you're here."

"T-Thank you, I would like to move freely."

"Just say it."

"Say what?" I asked him in an incredulous voice, which made the little flame surrounding him grow even bigger by the second.

"You know what, everyone has to say it at least once when they see me."

"I... I don't follow you."

"Captain! Don't pressure her like that, maybe she's not like the others." The Bouncy Lady scolded the boy, which made him grow even angrier by the look of his eyes.

"They're all alike, every last one of them."

"Did I upset you?" I said in a soft voice, so soft that he stopped his little rant to see if I was really asking him a question

His expression on his face was so cute and bemused I had to stifle my laughter. The woman also noticed his change of aura and smiled to herself again. The boy sighed tiredly to himself and laughed softly into the air as his eyes glanced back to me. There was a small smirk on his face, which gave me a chance to smile back to him. If I was going to be their prisoner for now, the least I could do was be kind to them. Maybe they would help me out, or not, depending on what I did.

"No, you didn't. It's my fault."

"If you don't mind me asking, what was it you were expecting me to say?"

"Well, I guess the fact that I'm short for my age. Despite my rank, a lot of people like to make comments on my height."

"To be honest, I thought about it. But seeing the anger in you eyes made me think twice."

"Someone got brownie points." The woman laughed out loud as she ruffled my hair, acting so kind even though earlier on we were trying to kill each other.

I laughed awkwardly to myself as I rubbed onto my ankle to help the swelling go down. Bouncy Lady got off the couch and went out of the room for a moment before coming back with an ice pack for me. As I gently grazed it against my skin, I couldn't help but stare at both of my captors since they were just so... breathtaking. I mean the woman was stunning, everything about her was extremely beautiful to me. But the boy... he was just so... interesting. From his teal eyes to his pure snow-white hair, they were something you could stare at for hours and still be fascinated with it.

"I know how you feel Captain, my friends make fun of my height all the time."

"Really, you're not that much shorter than Histugaya..." Bouncy Lady said in a low voice, but Hitsugaya still heard it and growled out loud.

"Well, I'm only five-two and everyone else is a giant. Besides my best friend, she's not that much shorter, so we fight back together a lot."

"How much taller is your friend?" Hitsugaya asked nonchalantly, but it was obvious he knew who it was just by the vague words.

"She's only three inches taller, maybe like your height. I'm like her sidekick, because I tried to ignore them in the beginning. But then she started to fight back, so I kinda followed."

"That sounds like fun, are you boy friends taller?"

"Oh yeah, my brother is like six-foot-one, and my boyfriend's about five-eleven. So they pick on us a lot."

"What does your friend do?"

"She mostly jumps on their backs and brings them to the ground. If she's really annoyed she'll kick them in the shin and laugh."

"Ouch, sounds a little rough doesn't it, Captain?" Bouncy Lady laughed in surprise, but Hitsugaya was silent and urged me to continue behind her back.

"They can handle her, at least C.J. Since they've been best friends since forever, he knows exactly what to counter-attack with."

"Your friend, what kind of person is she?" He asked out loud, the icy look in his eyes instantly changed to a warm and fuzzy kind that seemed to foreign to his face.

I watched as Bouncy Lady looked over to her captain and then realized herself who I was talking about. It was strange to see that Hikari had made such an impact on people, maybe because we were so young and these guys should have had much more things to worry about instead of a girl. But then again, after knowing her for so long should have been obvious that she was the type of girl to make a difference to people, even if she was young. I decided to have fun with this, so I laughed coyly and relaxed a little more on the couch.

"Oh, she's that girl that everyone's heard about. She's done so many things to make an impression on anyone."

"That sounds about right..." Hitsugaya sighed calmly as Bouncy Lady came to sit beside me with her arm around my shoulder without a care in the world.

"What else can you tell us about her?"

"She's very clumsy with everything she touches, but in her own way she can make things work. But then again, she understands people like the back of her hand, so it's easy for her to make new friends without even trying."

"That's new." Both of them laughed out loud, which stopped me momentarily until they quieted down and looked back to me.

"You know, you guys kind of remind me of her... Hikari."

"How so?"

"Yeah, what makes us remind you of her?"

"Well, not to be brash or anything but your chest definitely reminds me of her."

"I told you she got bigger!" Bouncy Lady squealed in triumph which made Hitsugaya groan under his hand.

"I didn't need to hear that..."

"Captain Hitsugaya loves her so much he was embarrassed to see how much she had grown over these years-"

"That's quite enough Rangiku, don't say anymore or so help me I will make you do the paperwork that needs to be done."

"But you said you would do it!"

"They're your papers anyway, that's why your here!"

"Oh you're so mean, Hitsugaya!"

Their little fight went on for a few more minutes to my delight and pleasure. It was awesome to see such a couple-like fight even here in this strange world I was in. At some point, I found myself laughing out loud which got them to stop. Blue and teal eyes stared questioningly at me while I tried to calm myself down. It was Rangiku who turned her eyes towards her captain and then to me before she spoke.

"Why were you laughing?"

"Oh I'm sorry, it's just that your fighting reminded me of my brother and Hikari."

"Your brother.. and Hikari?"

"Yeah, ever since they met both of them would fight over the tiniest thing, which you guys kinda reminded me of. Because they... well... got together they haven't been fighting like before."

"Oh is that so?" Hitsugaya noted to himself as Rangiku squealed happily to herself over the fact Hikari had someone special to her.

"She's grown up so much, I'm so happy."

"But she's too innocent, especially for such a boy like him..."

"Don't worry, they haven't done much. They're both so awkward about the fact each other hated the other for so long, it's going rather slowly."

"Have they at least kissed?"

"Of course, just not french or anything. At least not yet-"

"I've heard enough for my liking." Hitsugaya said as he tried to hide the blush on his cheeks from over-thinking about Hikari, which made me smile.

"I'm sorry, let's change the subject. My name is Miyuki Ishida, but most people call me Miyu."

"Thank you, my name is Toshiro Hitsugaya." He sighed in relief as Bouncy Lady jumped from her seat and turned back to me with a giant yet seductive grin.

"And mine's Rangiku Masumoto. I'm sorry we had to fight earlier, but you know how things are."

"I totally understand! You're both so nice, no wonder Hikari loved this place so much."

"Did she ever talk about us? You know, about us?"

"She did with C.J, but not with me that often. I think it hurt her to think about the past, so she bottled most of it inside until her brother came around." I said truthfully but that wasn't the best idea when their expressions changed suddenly.

"I see." Hitsugaya noted harshly as Rangiku quickly sensed the mood and tried to make things better for all of us.

"Captain! Let's not dwell on the past, it's the future!" She shouted into the air as she squished his cheeks without warning.

"Rangiku... Don't treat me like a child!"

He slapped her hands away, which made her pout and pretend cry into her hands as he suddenly became flustered. I watched him try to make things better but then she laughed and squished his cheeks again. His face got so red as he yelled at her as she tried to get away to my delight again. I laughed and laughed with the ice pack against my ankle as they fought like an old married couple.

_"Oh Hikari... I totally understand why this place is home. I hope you're enjoying yourself as much as I am."_

* * *

><p><strong>Hikari's POV<strong>

It was strange to be here alone, never in my entire life had I dreamed about being a prisoner to my home. Since Nezu left, it got eerily quiet and a bit depressing for me since the sun was barely peeking through. I could hear the birds chirping around me, yet none of them wanted to land close by. Hours seemed to go by when I sensed someone beside my room, someone I knew very well.

"T-Takashi?"

"Hey there kiddo, how ya doing?" He sheepishly laughed at me, but nothing seemed right in his words, like they were kind of forced.

"I've had better days, my stomach is killing me from where dad hit me. Do you know if my friends are okay?"

"They're perfectly safe, each one of them is being guarded by someone close to you. Would you like to know?"

"Of course I would! I'm dying to figure it out, but I feel like I already know."

"Make a guess, surprise me." He seemed to force out again, but when I looked through the crack he seemed to be alright.

"Well, I want to say someone's at Byaukya's house... am I right?"

"Keep going, I want to know if you've been practicing."

"Alright then, someone's over in Squad Eleven's bunkers, and then the last person's with Toshiro and Rani."

"Very good, can you be a little more specific."

"Brother..."

"Oh alright; they Quincy is the one with Byakuya, your little girlfriend is with Hitsugaya and the _arrancar's_ with Zaraki."

"Great, why don't you just put a snake in a box with a freaking mongoose or something... Kouhei and Byakuya, what were you guys thinking?!" I freaked out a little as I bashed my fists against the wall as I held back my anger.

_Calm down sugar, don't wanna freak out your brother now... do we?  
>"I guess not, sorry about that <em>_K__yōfū__... but can you blame me?"_

_I can't, but your brother might think otherwise._

"Hikari, are you alright?"

"Not really, I just wanna go home."

"But you are home-"

"This isn't the home I wanted! Since when can you call home a place where everyone treats you like a prisoner and lock you up in a tower?! Without my _zanbaktou, _my friends, my necklace! Where's my necklace!?"

"I don't know where it is, I tried looking everywhere for it! Can you blame them for locking you up here?! You did this to yourself, Hikari."

"I did nothing of the sort! If you hadn't shown up then I probably would have never tried to be normal again!"

"Oh, now you're blaming me?"

"If you hadn't come around, then Toshiro and Rani wouldn't have tried to find you. I wouldn't have freaked out and accidentally come across them, where at that moment I wanted to be normal again so I could see you guys!"

"You're not normal! Never in you entire life were you normal, you were born a freak!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, which seemed to echo through the tower and back into the air.

I stopped moving all together and sort of crumbled against the wall so my head was still against it. My heart shattered into a million little pieces as my rage that burned inside of me dwindled into ash. Takashi was silent for the longest time, as if he was debating on what his next move would be. I didn't want to talk to him anymore, so I got up and went back to the little bed I had and curled up into a ball. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to sob quietly into my sleeve, but Takashi still heard me.

"Hikari, I didn't mean it... Hikari please answer me-"

"Go away."

"Hikari, please-"

"Just go away you jerk! I don't want anything to do with you! Leave me alone so you don't have to watch me die!" I shouted harshly as I threw the closest thing I had, which just happened to be a bowl that shattered loudly.

I heard him flinch obviously through the crack, but he refused to say anything else of the matter. He sighed in a defeated way and walked off towards God-knows-where and left me alone to wallow in my self pity. Since he was gone, I couldn't hold back my tears so I wailed out loud in pain. My stomach hurt even more, and for some odd reason my scar against my chest was stinging too. At some point, I fell asleep and when I came to, it was dark outside with the moon barely peeking through.

"Ugh, I wonder what time it is."

_You know he didn't mean it like that. You shouldn't have taken it to heart like that.  
>"Don't give me a lesson right now, my head is throbbing a lot."<em>

_Hikari...  
>"K<em>_yōfū__, what did you expect me to do? That hurt, more than any sword stab or hand through my chest. My own brother thinks I'm a freak..."_

_I'm sorry.  
>"For what? It's not your fault that I became this way, it's because of my accident."<em>

_But I feel like I'm also a reason for you turning this way... do you think there's really a hollow in you?  
>"Yeah, I think she's lurking around somewhere in my subconscious mind.<em>

_Do you think it's me?  
>"What'ya mean?"<em>

_I've always been here, in your mind and soul for the last ten years... I've just been asleep.  
>"Are you saying... you're a hollow?"<em>

_That's the thing, I don't know.  
>"But I've seen you, and you look nothing like a hollow! You're pretty, with long black hair and beautiful sky blue... eyes."<em>

_Hikari?  
>"It's nothing, I was just thinking of when we were in the hospital... apparently my eyes changed to sky blue for a moment."<em>

_Do you think it was because of me?  
>"I wonder if... when we talk like this... my eyes change?"<em>

_Wanna find out?_

"What?" I asked softly as my body stood up without warning as this warm feeling wrapped itself around my body like a giant blanket.

_Don't freak out, let's see what's in your mind._

"_K__yōfū__! _Wait a second-!" My breath came out like a whisper as everything suddenly turned black and my legs gave out underneath me.

* * *

><p><em>"Ow!" I cried out in pain as I woke up in the grass fields again, but this time there were storm clouds in the sky.<em>

_"Where am I?!__K__yōfū__! __Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū__, where are you?"_

_"Right here." This voice, an unfamiliar voice that sent chills down the back of my spine laughed wickedly as her hand grasped my shoulder._

_My body reflexively flinched and jumped as far as I could go, much to her surprise. I looked up to a pair of bright blue eyes, but she seemed entirely different. Her hair was much shorter, close to mine except that it was dark purple. She seemed a lot shorter than before, and her clothes looked exactly like mine. It took me a minute to realize that there was another me standing in front of me, except she was white with bright blue eyes and had purple hair._

_"__Hagesh__ī__... K__yōfū__?"_

_"Yes, I am she."_

_"Y-You can't be her, she looked different! Where is she?"_

_"How many times must I tell you Queenie," The copy laughed as she shunpoed forward and grasped my neck tightly. "I am __Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū__."_

_My breath couldn't come out as I grasped her hand tightly in an attempt to push her away. She laughed in a hubris tone right before she threw me into a nearby tree. It cracked like thunder and nearly toppled right over me if I hadn't rolled away. As I tried to catch my breath, she started to come forward and grab onto me again. I jumped up and tried to run away, but every turn I took she was right there with her hand out._

_"You can't get away, Queenie! This is my world!"_

_"Well, it was my world first!" I shouted back as I jumped right in front of her and kicked the side of her head._

_I heard her groan in pain as she flew into a tree, this time the trunk crashed against her before she could get up. My heart thumped wildly as she easily pushed the trunk off of her and towards my direction. She laughed and laughed as I threw myself into the ground and tried to get away again. But her foot made contact with my head and pinned it against the ground as something slicked against my neck._

_"I like you, Queenie. You got spunk, but do you have what it takes to control me?" She asked as the rain finally poured on us at the last minute, making the world a little more darker._

_"D-Do you think I have what it takes?"_

_"Of course, that's why I haven't killed you yet." She said in a matter-of-fact tone as her foot lifted off my head so I could sit up, her eyes forever set on me._

_"But I'm waiting for you."_

_"F-for me?"_

_"Yeah, I need you to believe you can control me. I don't wanna die, but if I have to take over your body, I will."_

_"G-Good to know," I gasped loudly as I tried to push back my soaked hair so it was easier to see her eyes._

_"I won't ever let you take over my body."_

_"Now that's the spirit! Get angry, force me down Queenie or else I'll walk over you like a wet dog."_

_"But where's the woman for before? What did you do to her..."_

_"She's still around, trying to fight me so she's the dominant one. But I'll make you a deal-"_

_"I already don't like this." I stated bluntly which made the hollow-me laugh until she couldn't breath properly, her face in a strange emotion-filled smile._

_"If you can control me, I'll make sure that both of us can live happily in here."_

_"How so?"_

_"Merging of course."_

_"Merging?! You'll merge with her!?"_

_"Not now, don't get your panties in a knot." She tsked as I suddenly became emotional, her finger poked against my head in a hard way._

_"When you can properly show me you can control me. Until then, I'll be waiting for the last moment where you think you die."_

_"Sounds reassuring."_

_"What'ya say Queenie? We got a deal?" She extended her hand out towards me, a somewhat psychotic smile on her face as I looked up at her._

_I stared into her sky blue eyes for a moment, the rain above slowly coming to an end at the peace in my world. Despite the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach, I grabbed her hand and shook it. She laughed in triumph and gripped my hand tighter, pulling me towards her without warning. It felt like I went through her, her entire being surrounded me as everything became black._

_"I'm so looking forward to working with you... Queenie."_

* * *

><p>I woke up in a jolt as the sudden burning sensation en-wrapped around my whole hand. My lip was bleeding a lot as my teeth bit against it to suppress a scream. As I tried to calm myself down, my eye glanced down to a red mark that took over most of the back of my hand. I could hear her laughing inside my head, but I tried to focus my attention on other things.<p>

"Yo, you doing okay in there?!" Nezu's voice shouted through the crack, the sound of his sword tapping against the wall brought my back to earth.

"Y-Yeah! Doing just fine... I guess."

"I felt your reiatsu surging right now, don't tell me you're doing just fine." He said in a genuinely worried voice, but he was kinda mocking me so I got a bit angry.

"It's nothing, I was just a bit upset. What time is it anyway?"

"It's morning, about eight or so. Heard Takashi came by to see you yesterday."

"I really don't want to talk about it. Any news about my punishment? Are they really going to kill me?" I asked him in a rushed voice, but he shushed me and waited a few seconds before he spoke again.

"Honestly, everyone's fighting about it so who knows what will happen. It could take hours or days to find out."

"Great, that's just great."

"Get comfortable, I'll bring you some food right now, alright?"

"Sounds good, I'll just be in here."

He laughed loudly as he shunpoed away to get me some food, which gave me the opportunity to see if _Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū _was okay. I sat back on the ground and started to meditate a little, when I finally sensed her again.

_"__Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū__! You're you... right?"  
>Yes I am, it's not the hollow-you. <em>

_"Oh thank goodness you're alright! I was worried!"  
>Thanks Hikari, I'm glad the hollow-you didn't kill you or something. How are you going to prove yourself to her when you're locked up?<em>

_"Hey, we'll find a way. As long as I don't die, then things will be okay. I won't go bezerk and things will go my way for once."  
>Do you think they'll kill you?<em>

_"Well, I did take Takashi's powers when I knew I shouldn't have. I'm a visored but so is Ichigo, I don't know what else they could charge me with."  
>Let's hope you don't get executed or something.<em>

_"Me too. And let's hope that my friends will survive for now. They're smart people, they know how to adjust."  
>"Amen."<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ah, what the heck was that? I kinda feel bad about writing the part with Takashi and Hikari, but that's not even the worst bit yet. Hope you can wait a little longer, the next chapter is a bit lighter as her friends start remembering things Hikari did for them to seal the deal on their friendship. There's a bit of a time jump, so I hope that doesn't bother anyone.<br>_**

**_Thanks for reading!_**


	17. Ciel's Sweet Memory

**Ciel's POV: Five Days Later**

"Come on Blueberry, it's just around the corner!" Yachiru laughed childishly as she ran down the hallway in front of me... which seemed like a nightmare.

"Yachiru, my ankle's still killing me. Can't ya give me a break or something?" I asked in a huff as I tried to walk faster, but the pressure against my ankle was too much.

My body hobbled its way down the hallway thanks to a crutch Baldy, whose name was actually Ikkaku Madarame, made for me. After he and Pretty Boy, aka: Yumichika Ayesegawa, delt with their captain they came to my room and apologized (_with Yachiru staring them down the entire time). _Being me, I couldn't help but forgive them and tried to get them to talk about Hikari. That still hit a sore spot, but afterwards Ikkaku stopped by and told me a little about her. It was nice to hear stories about Hikari, especially from someone else's point of view.

Yachiru was a pretty cool chick, despite her childish outlook on life and weird ways of dealing with people. She pretty much looked out for me as I healed from my fight with Renji, but Ikkaku came around and started to help me. Yumichika on the other hand, refused to make any real contact with me and somewhat stayed in the background. It didn't really bother me, after all, I was a prisoner.

"Blueberry, what's taking you so long?!"

"Yachiru, didn't I ask you not to call me that?"

"But I always call people by a nickname, Hika wasn't an exception so you shouldn't be either!"

She stopped at the end of the hall and stood her ground, her hands on her hips to show she wasn't kidding. The look on her face showed that she was serious, and Ikkaku had mentioned Yachiru was the stubborn type. I stopped walking and stared deeply into her dark pink eyes, and slowly gave up. She could tell I had given up, so she smiled and started to sing the word _blueberry _as she hopped around like a bunny rabbit.

"Yachiru, am I going in the right direction?" I called out to her as I turned the corner, but an entirely different figure was waiting for me there.

"Eh? What are you doing out and about?" This deep and scratchy voice asked me as his dull green eyes stared me down like in an old western movie.

Just by the look of his eyes, it was clear this man was the infamous captain: Kenpachi Zaraki. Yumichika told me all about him in a attempt to scare me, but it failed when I didn't freak out like he wanted me to. He really stood out, what with his eye patch over his green eyes and his stringy black hair. I was a little disappointed that he didn't put the bells on the tips like Hikari told me about, that was something I had always wanted to see. Now his hair was just pushed back like any other guy, but he still looked a bit intimidating anyway.

Zaraki was quiet as I shifted my body weight off my ankle to a more comfortable position with the crutch. His aura that surrounded him was fierce and intimidating, but nothing I hadn't felt in my life. As I continued to stare at him, he seemed like the uncomfortable one at some point. He looked surprised mixed with amazed that I hadn't started to sweat bullets or something. All I could do to keep myself from laughing at the awkward tension was bit my tongue long enough for someone to rescue me.

"Kenny! There you are!" Yachiru shouted out of nowhere as she casually jumped onto his back side and stared down at me with her dark pink eyes. "I was wondering if you were around."

"Yachiru, are you leading the arrancar around again? Ikkaku mentioned you were doing that a while ago."

"Yeah! Blueberry and I were going to go outside... if that's okay with you?" She asked him with her innocent voice, her eyes glancing awkwardly back between us.

Kenny... I mean Zaraki looked like he wanted to say no, but the look on Yachiru's face said otherwise. He looked back to me with a cold stare, and waited for a second to see if I would freak out. But no matter how much he stared at me, and despite the stories I heard, there was no way I was backing down. I had to prove myself one way or another, and since I couldn't fight still, this was the only way.

"Hm... I don't see why not, go ahead, Yachiru."

"Yay! Let's go Blueberry!" She squealed out loud as she jumped right off his shoulders and grabbed my wrist without warning.

"Ouch! Yachiru, stop pulling me!" I laughed as she dragged me through the hallway and into a lot of people without a care in the world.

It took us a minute because I kept dropping my crutch, but after the third time we made it outside at last. It felt good to feel the breeze from the wind through my hair, the scent of greenery wafting all around me. We sat along the edge of the porch they had, my feet touched the ground while hers dangled in the air. I couldn't stop myself from breathing deeply and exhaling in an obnoxious way, but it only made her laugh.

"Wow, it's so nice out here. I missed being outside."

"I know right? Kenny and I like to sit outside on the roof and look up to the stars. Maybe one of these days you can come up!"

"Maybe Yachiru, once my ankle stops throbbing every time I walk on it. Maybe in a few more days..."

"Say C.J... mind if I ask you something."

"That depends Yachiru, you used my actual name. Is something the matter?"

"No, it's just that..." She said at first, but then she shook her head and stared up at me again. "Why do you call yourself C.J?"

"Why do I...?"

"Why not let people call you Ciel?"

"Oh, that's because Hikari called me C.J first, and it kinda stuck I guess."

"How old were you guys?"

"God, it feels like forever now that you ask." I sighed dramatically in my hand as I started to count the years with my fingertips. "I think like ten years now."

"Oh wow! That's a really long time!" She gasped as she came beside me with her hands resting underneath her chin, her feet dancing in the wind.

"Tell me about it."

"I don't know Yachiru, it's a pretty long story."

"I have time."

"Now you're just messing with me." I said to her, but she only smiled and tilted her head to the side like a little puppy, and expectant look in her eyes.

"Alright, if you really want to know-"

"Yay! Story time!"

_"Geez, so entertained by a measly little story... but it's nice to see someone so happy like this. Guess I can tell her, although she might make fun of me later..."_

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>~Ten Years Ago~<strong>_

_"Ciel look! I found this weird rock covered in moss! It's squishy!" Hikari laughed innocently as she showed me this small gray rock with bright green moss all over it._

_"Ew! That's nasty!" I replied back with my own laughter as I pushed back my bright blue hair from my eyes for the hundredth time._

_She smiled at me and with a flick of her wrist, she sent the rock a few yards away from us into the trees. It was just me and her outside the playground near to our school, everyone else had gone home. Hikari's parents were supposed to pick her up, but by the position of the sun, it was clear that her aunts were coming instead. I would have gone home earlier with Grimmjow, but she begged him to let me stay until they came and got her. _

_We were new friends, our classrooms just happened to be next to each other and my hair stood out to her. I was never good at making new friends, so when she came up to me during recess I was happy to meet her. I liked her big brown eyes and bright smile she wore everyday, it gave me butterflies inside my stomach. And even though my dad was scary-looking to most students, she thought he was the coolest person ever. Hikari was always the girl everyone knew about, mostly because she was so brave and her hair wasn't exactly a normal color like mine._

_I had just given her my last snack when some other kids came into our territory, their shadow blocked most of the late sun. I could tell Hikari was worried, the look on her face as she hid her snack made it clear these guys were older. We were only six, but these kids were about two years older than us, and boy were they tough-looking._

_"Well well well, look what we have here fellas." This older boy stated as his two cronies came up behind him with smirks on their faces._

_Hikari fell back next to me as I stood up from the ground, my height already surpassing theirs even at my young age. Normally, she wouldn't have been so scared if they bullies were not the talk of the school yard. Judging by their scary clothes and older appearances it was the same bullies the teachers had told us about. They told us to stay away from these kids, because a while back they had hurt one of us and taken their money. _

_"What's wrong blue boy? Cat got your tongue?" The main bully taunted me as he looked over his shoulder to see if his friends were laughing, which of course they were._

_I wanted to step forward and punch him right in the face, but Hikari grasped my arm as if she knew what I was thinking. I looked ferociously towards her, but her big brown eyes told me not to go. She seemed to be angry at them as well, but I think she was told by her parents not to fight other kids. So, being the good little girl she was, she tried to hold me back long enough for Grimmjow or some other adult to come by._

_"Nah, I just don't talk to morons." I snickered a little, which made Hikari laugh but of course she was a bit troubled by my words._

_This made the bully made, but it entertained his so-called friends for a second until he turned to them. He motioned them to go after me, but neither of them wanted to have anything to do with me. After he growled angrily towards them he turned back to us and practically charged at me like a bull. I pushed Hikari out of the way before she could be taken down with me, his hands gripped against my shirt. He got one punch to my face before Hikari easily tugged at his arm and threw him back to his friends._

_"Mrs. Kono!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as she tried to make a break for the classroom a few yards away._

_"Go get that girl!" The bully yelled at his friends, who were finally happy enough to pick on someone that they thought wouldn't hurt them._

_Both of them chased and tackled her to the ground, grabbing both sides of her so she couldn't move. Her feet were dangling off the ground as they carried her back over to where she started. I watched in anger as she tried to get away, but the bully came around and slapped her right across the face. I got so mad that I kicked him right in the shins to make him stop, but one friend let Hikari go to take care of me._

_"Ciel!" She cried out in pain, which stopped the bullies from hitting me just because of my name._

_"Did she just say... Ciel?"_

_"What a ridiculous name! What are you, British?!" The bully laughed and laughed as his friends tried to get a better grip on Hikari._

_"With your freaky hair and eyes, you should go back to where ever you came from, freak!"_

_I screamed out of frustration and tried to take him down, but his weight overpowered me and took me to the floor first. We were blindly hitting each other until someone screamed bloody-murder and the other was crying like a baby. He looked up and instantly jumped off of me to try and help his friends, kicking me one last time in the stomach to stop me. I coughed a little as I looked up to see Hikari with an angry expression and a little bit of blood on her knuckle from where she punched the kid's nose._

_"You shut your mouth!" She commanded to the bigger kid, who towered over her small figure like Goliath to David... sorry for the bible reference, it was the only thing close to what it was._

_"Oh yeah, you in what army?"_

_"This one!" Hikari hissed threateningly as she punched him right in the jaw, which sent him back a couple of steps out of pure surprise._

_He was dumbfounded by the fact a smaller kid, especially a girl, would hit him right in the face. As I got up he balled his hand into a fist and hit her back ten fold, knocking her right to the floor. But when she got up, she seemed totally unfazed about the fact she was just hit. There was blood dribbling down her lip but she merely licked it away. The look in her eyes were full of anger and a bit of disgust, a look which will never leave my mind._

_"You think you're so tough, don't you little girl?"_

_"No, I don't. But I think I'm capable of beating the likes of you, a coward! How dare you hit a girl! Does that make you strong?"_

_Both his friends turned to one another at such a question, how could a six year old think of something like that? He seemed a bit flustered as he tried to make a break for it, but Hikari wouldn't let him. She easily over took him as her small body jumped right into the air and landed perfectly on his. His friends and I sort of sat there in the dirt as she began to wail on him over and over, a somewhat frighting look in her eyes. We kinda looked at each other to see if one of us would intervene, but none of us wanted to._

_"Ciel's just fine the way he is! His hair and his name are what makes him unique and different! And there's nothing wrong with that!"_

_I felt a bit happy that she would stand up for me like that, even know I couldn't help but think back to my gratitude for her words. We were only six, friends for about a month or two, and yet she had such a strong and wise thought process that we kids should not have had. It made it clear that she grew up in a world where you had to learn the world through grown-up eyes, a world with discipline._

_"Don't just stand there, get her off of me!" The bully shouted angrily as he finally managed to get her partway off, but she stuck to him like glue._

_His friends assuredly made their way over there, but I decided not to let them pass. I jumped up and tackled both of them to the ground while Hikari continued her wailing. Both of them were hitting me, so I was a little at odds against them. But after witnessing Hikari fight so drastically for me, I had this new energy in my blood that kept me going. After beating them at last, Hikari was pushed off and the bully instantly grabbed onto his friends and tried to drag them away. I had to grab her shirt and pull her down to the ground to make her stop from going after them._

_"Geezus, we'll never come over here again! You guys are insane!" The bully cried out loud as tears of fright fell down his cheeks as they ran far away towards traffic._

_"Yeah you better run!" I laughed and shouted coldly while Hikari relaxed and smiled to herself in a satisfied way._

_I turned to Hikari just as she looked up to me, tears from earlier still lingering in her eyes. I sighed out of relief and made my way to the park bench with her in tow. We sat together and tried to brush off most of the dirt from our clothes, we even had to take off our shoes and socks. I tried to clean my face from some of the blood, but it was no use to even bother. Hikari looked like a huge mess, her short brown-and-orange hair was sticking to her cheeks from her tears and some of her blood from the punch. Every inch of our body was covered in scratches from the sand and bruised from the hits we took._

_"You okay there, Hika?" I asked as she leaned carefully against my shoulder, her hand gently grasped mine out of reflex._

_"I've had better days... those guys were mean." She muttered softly to herself as more tears streamed down her face without warning , which sent me in a frenzy._

_"Hika... are you crying?! Does it hurt? Do you need a band-aid?" _

_"No! I'm fine!" She bawled out loud as her hands came up to hide her face from me, but I grasped the back of them and pulled them down._

_"Hikari! What's wrong?"_

_"I'm just angry Ciel! I'm very angry at those bullies, they were wrong to say such things!"_

_"What do you mean, Hika?"_

_"Ciel is a cool name! There's nothing wrong with it!"_

_"Yeah, that's what you think. But a lot of people aren't like you, my name is something from England... it's weird." I sighed bitterly to myself as I brushed a bit of my hair from my face, wincing from the slight pain in my cheek._

_Her eyes glanced up to me before they went back to her hands, a contemplating look in her eyes. It was silent for a few minutes, the only sounds being made were our deep breathing and the traffic down the street. Suddenly, she grasped onto my face and smiled the brightest smile I had ever seen her make. _

_"Well then, how about we call you C.J!" Hikari bursted out of excitement, her eyes telling me to join in her fun._

_"C...J? Where'd that come from?"_

_"Well, since you don't like your name, why not a nickname! And it works too, because you have the C from Ciel and then the J from your last name... Jagerjaquez!" She giggled in a innocent way as she smiled with a toothy grin this time._

_I was a bit annoyed over how it was so simple, someone like us should have thought of that a long time ago. I could have thought of that, it was that simple and easy! Then there was the idea that it wouldn't catch on, and people would still make fun of my name. But the pure innocent hope that stayed in her eyes couldn't make me be mean towards her. After all, she did try her best at helping me, even in a ridiculously innocent way._

_"...Fine, I guess we can do that."_

_"Yay! And I can still call you Ciel, right?"_

_"Wait a second cowgirl! Why you?"_

_"Because I'm your best friend, aren't I? And I like your name... what if I can only call you Ciel when I'm mad at you?" She negotiated her terms with me, her brown eyes glancing back from her hands to my eyes._

_"Okay, that works with me." I couldn't help but agree because what she said was mostly true, and the only times she was mad was when we fought._

_"YEAH!" She seemed to scream to the heavens as she abruptly jumped off the bench and began to dance with herself._

_"Thanks C.J!" She laughed adorably, which in turn made me laugh and smile my psychotic grin for the first time, just for being adorable._

_"No problem... Hikari."_

* * *

><p>"And that's how I got my nickname." I finished the story with a satisfied feeling, one that I hadn't felt in a long time.<p>

"Wow! That sounds like something Hika would do!" Yachiru giggled to herself as she tried to remember a younger Hikari back in the day.

"Yeah, and boy when Grimmjow came to get me, was he surprised! He went straight to the teacher and told them what happened. If Hikari hadn't been such a good actress, then we would have been in such deep shit."

"Yeah, she was a really good actress..."

Both of us sighed at the sudden peace in the air, the talk of the past still lingering in the air. I looked up to a pale pink sky, where there were a few clouds still roaming around. The back of my neck shivered at the cold touch of the wind, but again it felt great. It must have been hours since we first came out, yet it only felt like minutes. I thought to myself, if things were not as bad as they were, then I would have enjoyed the moment more.

But I couldn't, not when I knew my friends were trapped like animals in a cage and Hikari was locked up somewhere by herself. I tapped the crutch against my ankle for a second before I dropped my head down. Yachiru looked a bit puzzled as I pinched the bridge of my nose for a second as I looked up to her.

"I'm going to save her, no matter what."

Her eyes got wide in shock while her perpetual blush grew even more red with anger. I didn't even see her get closer to me as her hands grasped the side of my shirt. I could feel her reiatsu surging from her anger, the dangerous moment where I swore I saw a pink cat above her head. But then she calmed herself down and it went away, but the anger and seriousness in those pink eyes were not going away.

"How? You're injured and can barely walk properly! Your friends are locked up and you don't even know where they are!" She tried to reason with me, but I stood up and tried to put pressure on my ankle.

It gave out after a few minutes, but when I tried again it felt a little better and easier to walk. I grabbed the crutch and rested it under me, my eyes avoided her stare. She was angry, very angry, but there was no way I could just sit there any longer. It had been five days, going on six now, and something seemed fishy. All I wanted to do was get out and go home; when we got there we would figure out the plan.

"I can manage, I'm getting Hikari out of here no matter what. I promised I would protect her-"

"But what if you got killed... she would be devastated and blame herself."

_"Shit, she has a point." _I thought angrily to myself as I cussed softly under my breath, but she heard me and sighed out loud disapprovingly.

"You can't just jump out in the open like that, it's not safe. You need your friends first."

"I know, but I don't know this place. Hikari told me it was like a maze here, one wrong move could wind you up in a completely new place. What am I going to do... are you going to rat me out?"

Her eyes said no, but of course she couldn't say such a thing out in the open all willy-nilly. She looked over her shoulder and suddenly went to the doorway and stopped. Her hand quickly rose up as she motioned me to follow, which I did. I barely used the crutch as she took me back in the hallway, where she turned sharply to her left. We entered a small and dark storage room where she quickly closed the door behind me and went forward. Without warning, she dropped to her knees and removed a patch of wood from the floor. I could make out a small tunnel in the floor, just barely big enough for someone my height to go through.

"This will lead you to the Kuchki Manor... where the Quincy is right now." She smiled devilishly while her pink eyes sparkled in the light with mischief.

"The Kuchki Manor? Geez, why did they put Senpai in such a place..." I groaned to myself, thinking about the deadly battle between them just under a week ago.

"Come on Blueberry, I'll help you!" She laughed in her normal voice as she prepared to jump in, but I stopped her with a tug of her uniform.

"Why... are you doing this?"

"Because..." Words escaped her for a moment before a somber and depressed look crossed her face. "I... owe Hikari one."

Something about her seemed off, like that wasn't the whole truth of why she was helping me. But the more I stood there, the more it took away the time needed to save her. So I sort of brushed it off and nodded to her, a sense of gratitude in my voice when I spoke out loud.

"Fair enough, lead the way Yachiru."

"Yeah!" She smiled a little forcefully as we both jumped through into the tunnel, her tiny figure squeezed between me and the way.

Her hands carefully set the lid down as she scurried down the tunnel at a break-neck speed without warning. I had to drop the crutch to keep up with her, a throbbing sensation in my ankle the entire time. But most of it was just because of the sudden weight added to it, nothing that I couldn't fix later.

_"I'm coming Hikari, just you wait. We're going to rescue you no matter what."_

* * *

><p><strong><em>I hope this was a little better, I liked writing about his memory. They've been together since forever, and come on, you wouldn't think he'd get his nickname over an easy discussion. Of course there would have been some fighting along with it.<em>**

**_Next comes Kouhei's memory, but it's not as far back as Ciel's. His is more special since they've known each other for so long, but Kouhei's nice too. We get to see some pretty cute romance between the two before they were taken away, so it should be nice._**

**_I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully before school comes around I'll be able to write Miyu's as well.  
>Thanks for reading!<em>**


	18. Kouhei's Interrupted Date

**Kouhei's POV: Five Days Later**

"How long are they going to keep us locked up like animals?" I coldly asked Rukia as she prepared to leave from re-wrapping my wound, as she boxed everything up.

It had become repetitious for her to come around every morning and night to change my bandages, which was nice. But after the fifth day of not hearing anything, it was kinda getting on my nerves. My wound was healed up well enough for me not to feel much pain from it, and it left behind a nice scar, but that was besides the point. During the entire time, Rukia would tell me stories that would have probably embarrassed Hikari, but she refused to mention anything about the current situation.

"I was sure they would've killed us by now."

"You know as well as I do we would never do that, your parents would kill us. We're not monsters, we just run differently than you guys." She sighed irritably out loud, her hands that held the box were tight to keep herself calm.

"So, what about Hikari? What are they going to do with her?"

"I don't want to talk about this, not right-"

"Rukia," I intervened with my height as I stood in front of her, the chain around my ankle gone from existence. "Just tell me what's going on... please."

She seemed a bit startled again, as if whatever she wasn't telling me was eating her insides to her core. I kept staring at her until she could no longer stare up at me, the burden on her shoulders too much to hold up. It was clear that things were not good, if she was holding back this long then it was going to be hell here. Rukia turned towards the door real quick to make sure Byakuya wasn't there before she nudged me to sit down.

"I don't want you to overreact alright?"

"I'll try my best, what is it Rukia?"

Her violet eyes glanced down towards the box for a moment before they came back up, burning my insides with pain. She bit her lip hard for a moment, drawing a little blood that rolled down her chin. I would have wiped it away, out of reflex, but she quickly brushed it and shook her hair. The little piece between her eyes jingled about as she took one last breath and said:

"She will be executed tomorrow morning."

My heart literally stopped beating for a moment, and when it started up I couldn't help but choke on my own breath. She jumped from her spot but didn't even try to make me calm down, she was expressionless the entire time. I couldn't believe the words that just came from her own mouth, she said it like it was no big deal. After all these years of not being able to see her flesh and blood, she was just going to stand by and let them kill her.

"What?! Executed... on what charges? She has done nothing wrong!"

"She has done everything wrong!" Rukia violently shouted at me, but within her breath she stopped herself and became professional again.

"She was never meant to regain her powers, what she did to Takashi will not be take lightly. No matter how close she was to everyone, she broke the rules-"

"For being herself again? Did she even know she had rules? Did you guys tell her anything when you left her at Karin and Yuzu's? She saved our lives, she's happy! Isn't that enough to let her go?"

"You don't understand, we just can't brush the rules-"

"Rules schmulzes! Rukia, listen to yourself," I tried to plead with her, my hands around her shoulders to keep her focus on me. "You of all people, should know that the rules here are bullshit. You would stand aside to let your own daughter die?"

"Does it look like I have a choice?"

"What about Takashi? Since it was his power and recklessness that gave Hikari the idea that she could be normal. Is he going to be executed too?"

"No... he's not."

"Why-" I stopped midway and sort of realized where this was going, why her only son wasn't going to die.

He probably said something along the lines of _"She overtook me in my moment of weakness" _or some bullshit like that. Her own brother... threw her out like she was trash to save his own ass from being executed. I pushed her away and started to pace back and forth with my hand tight around my shirt. My knuckle was in my mouth, bleeding slowly because I was stifling a scream of rage inside of me. Rukia looked troubled, but she forced herself to stay strong until I said something.

"I can't believe it... this society... was her home. And it's just going to kill her because she decided to try and be normal again... that's fucked up."

"How do you think I feel?" She suddenly snapped as she picked up the box and walked swiftly to the door for a quick escape.

"You have no idea how I feel right now, Kouhei. For ten... long years... I was patient. I told myself at some point I would go and see her again. We told ourselves that Hikari would be better off without her true powers, it would be safer for all of us. Maybe she would lose them all together and be normal, then we would go see her."

"What happened?"

"You children happened."

"Us... children?"

"You, the Quincy. Miyuki, the defender. And C.J... the_ arrancar_. You stayed in her life and made her remember all these things about her world, and practically forced her to stay the way she is. When we left her, she was damaged beyond repair, her reiryoku should have diminished after two years. But with you kids around, spewing your reiatsu when she was still sensitive... it made her strong. It made her hope, and Takashi had to go and see her even though we forbidden him not to... it ruined everything."

"You can't blame us for anything, Rukia. She had a strong heart, even you had to know she would never give up when she still had some power in her."

"But deep inside there's a-!" Her voice forcefully caught itself midway her sentence and stopped before anymore came out her teeth clenched tight.

"Inside there's what... a monster?"

"You have no idea." Was the last thing she said before she left the room and slammed the door on me with all her might.

Time seemed to drag on while I stood there motionless until my legs gave out under me. I felt like I wanted to cry and scream at the same time, but nothing came out. I just couldn't believe what happened there, she basically told me Hikari was going to die and there was nothing they could do. And she blamed us for making Hikari have hope, what kind of person would say such a thing!

_"No... no you have to calm down, Kouhei. If you explode now, then things will end badly. Come on, think of something good, something that made you happy. You got this... oh yeah, our first "date"... now that made me very happy..."_

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>~A lot of Saturdays Ago~<strong>_

_"Senpai, wanna take a break?" Hikari's voice was shaky with embarrassment as she caught my arm to aid me towards the bench._

_I sheepishly smiled towards her as we sat on the seat, her head against my shoulder in a desperate attempt to appease me. We were sort of on a date, well, I was too nervous to call it a date and she wouldn't even dare mention the word. It was all Miyu's fault, she gave us extra tickets to go to a nearby festival in a devious way. I knew she was trying to get us together, she had a gut feeling it would happen. Of course, after the whole bedroom thing, Hikari was a bit nervous to be around me (it was the day before she was attacked by the hollow ironically). She would hold my hand, but that was about it, since we didn't know anyone around that would see us._

_"I'm sorry, I didn't know you hated heights-"_

_"It's my... weakness." I lied awfully as I rested my head against hers, my hand tightly gripped to keep her calm._

_Truthfully, I was terrified of heights, ever since my father accidentally knocked me off a building during training. It wasn't even that high, but I hurt myself badly so ever since then, it had become my kryptonite. One of the rides Hikari wanted to go on so badly was this really tall one, which of course I couldn't say no to. She nearly had a heart-attack as she witnessed me change from blue to green almost instantly on the ride._

_"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, it's something I don't like to expose about myself."_

_"I get it, we all have things we don't like others to know." She laughed in an awkward voice, but the disappointment in her eyes showed how upset she was._

_I was trying my best not to get too close, after all we were still getting used to each other. But for some reason, I seemed to be falling for her every single day. Just looking at her from a distance made my heart thump loudly, like I wanted to be with her. But years of mock-hate took it's toll, so it was difficult to pass through. And she still seemed upset about her brother and friends coming around and disappearing without warning. I should have given her some air, but Miyu told me it would been good to distract her._

_"You ready to go home?"_

_"No. I kinda want to stay a bit longer, we won't go on any more rides." Hikari pushed herself away from me as she looked up with her big brown eyes and a sheepish grin._

_"Okay, do you mind if we rest a little bit longer?"_

_"Of course, don't worry Senpai."_

_She looked a bit more relaxed as we sat comfortably together as people passed by. Every now and then she laughed to herself, but for the most part she was silent. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, which of course made her blush around her ears. But she never once tried to push me away, it was a good start._

_"Hikari?" A woman asked out of the blue as we both looked up to her with surprised expressions on our faces._

_"Rangiku!" Hikari replied happily as she leaped from my hold into the woman's arms, her head against her huge chest._

_They squealed and jumped in their spots as they clung to each other like vines to a tree. Hikari looked so happy and surprised, while the woman was just as eager. She had beautiful blue eyes and amazing hair, but they seemed like nothing compared to her chest. Hikari had no problems with it whatsoever, her face was practically stuffed between her cleavage the entire time like she was used to it. Finally, they stopped jumping and just hugged with tight arms around each other, a bitter-sweet moment for all of us._

_"What are you... Toshiro's gonna be mad when he finds out about this." Hikari laughed mischievously as her eyes sparkled with glee in the bright lights above._

_"Well, as long as he doesn't find out... then no one will get hurt." The woman laughed just as bad as Hikari when he eyes caught mine, stopping her momentarily._

_She was quiet for a second, her arms limp as Hikari managed to get away from her body. I got up at last and quickly walked to Hikari's side, my hand around hers just to tease her. She flinched at my warm touch, but instead of pulling away she gripped tightly and stared at the ground. The woman looked down to Hikari and then her hand, a smile played around the edge of her lips._

_"Oh... Am I... interrupting something?" She winked obviously towards Hikari, whose bright red blush gave us away easily._

_"No! Well sort of... I don't know!"_

_"Oh Hikari, you're too cute to make fun of. But it's so easy sometimes... how do you do?" The woman finally acknowledged me with a kind smile as Hikari looked up to her._

_"Hello, my name's Kouhei Ishida. Are you must be...?"_

_"Rangiku Masumoto, a very old friend of Hika's if you can believe it." She laughed gaily as she ripped Hikari from my arms and held her tightly against her body._

_"Thanks for watching out for Hika, in more ways than one." _

_"Rani! What are you talking about, let me go!" Hikari squealed as she tried to pull her arms out, but Rangiku kept a strong hold on her just to mess around._

_"It's no trouble at all, doing the best that I can I guess."_

_"I've heard that you weren't a good friend in the beginning... were you?" _

_"Well, not exactly. But now I'm trying my best to make things right, hope you don't mind?"_

_"I guess that works out, Hikari's not the most innocent girl anymore."_

_"Will you guys stop talking like I'm not here?" Hikari sighed in an irritated voice as her eyes glared between me and Rangiku, her hands stuck against her chest._

_"Oh Hika, if you were a doll I would just take you everywhere with me!" Rangiku laughed like she didn't hear her and squished her face against Hikari's._

_"S-Senpai!"_

_It might have been because she sounded so annoyed, but whatever the case may be, I reflexively pulled Hikari away and into my arms. Both ladies were stunned by my actions, more so Hikari who was blushing bright red against my chest. Her arms were around my waist, but instead of trying to push away she grabbed on tighter for dear life. We stood there for a moment in silence until I broke it with a cough, drawing her attention back to me for a second._

_"K-Kouhei?" She whispered in a delicate voice as she glanced up shyly towards me from my chest, but it made Rangiku laugh loudly._

_"I'm sorry Masumoto, but do you mind not turning her into a bright red tomato? We need her to be... not so fruity."_

_Masumoto's eyes grew wide as Hikari pulled away from me and held my arm with her entire body. She was still red, but not as much and had this huge smile on her face... something I hadn't seen her do before. Even Masumoto was quiet, but not in the good kind of way, something about her seemed like she was dying on the inside. As Hikari tried to hide her face, Masumoto smirked and laughed like an old drunken man, and went as far as to slap her knee._

_"Oh... I guess that I can't pick on you anymore." She laughed innocently as she stepped towards me, which I thought she was going to get Hikari._

_But instead she wrapped her arms around around my shoulders and rested her head against my hair. I froze instantly, and poor Hikari nearly went ballistic seeing how red I was getting around me cheeks. But it wasn't a normal hug, her arms were squeezing me but there was no warmth from it at all. Her lips were close to my ear, but nothing seemed sexual or teasing about it at all._

_"You make sure nothing happens to her alright?" Her voice was harsh and straight to the point, nothing seemed sugar-coated about it._

_"If you so much as make her cry, or leave her alone like I had to... don't expect me to go soft on you."_

_As she pulled away our eyes met, my heart pierced by the sudden sadness and agonizing pain left in her gaze. Almost instantaneously however, she smiled down at Hikari, hugging her one last time. Hikari smiled back to her, but when she tried to come to my side, Masumoto grazed her fingers against her cheek and lightly kissed her lips. Her hands instantly came to her mouth as her cheeks burned like the sun, which made the older woman laugh._

_"Masumoto, I hope you know... I won't let you down. You have my word from someone who... cares just as deeply as you."_

_Rangiku stopped midway down the path and turned on her heel to stare at me with huge eyes. Hikari was a little puzzled, but I wasn't ready to tell her that I'd fallen for her just yet. Everything became clear in the older woman's like she knew what I meant. Without so much as a smile she turned her back to us, but as she walked away she waved her hand in the air. I suddenly felt a warm feeling grow inside the pit of my stomach, like for once in my life... I made a promise that I could keep._

_"What was that about, Kouhei?" _

_"Now you're calling me by my name?"_

_"Is that a problem? Did Rani say something to you?"_

_"No... nothing at all."_

_"Liar." She sighed bitterly to herself, the look of confusion in her eyes too much to ignore for the night._

_I quickly grasped her chin and forced her to stare up at me, which at the time seemed a little unnecessary. Her eyes were big in confusion and a little bit of fear as I leaned down towards her. I intended to tease her for a second before I brushed my lips against her forhead, my hands ran through her hair without warning. She immediately backed away from me with an even brighter blush than earlier with a flustered look on her face._

_"W-what was that for?"_

_"Masumoto and I... were just sealing a little deal." I laughed nonchalantly as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close._

_"Nothing to worry about... Hikari."_

_Just hearing her name slip through with ease calmed her down, like all she was worried about was that I was mad about something. She grinned and brushed her hand against my cheek, taunting me with her own actions. I interlocked our hands together and walked partway before she stopped moving all together. _

_"Hikari, what's wrong?" I glanced back worriedly to see if she was about to cry, but there was nothing wrong with her that I could make out._

_"Nothing, I just wanted to see something."_

_"What was it?"_

_"To see if you would look back."_

_"...Of course I would have, now come on... we still got a few hours before you-know-who calls."_

_She chuckled at my words, the aura surrounding her quickly changed from depressed to a light and relaxed one. I could see by the look in her eyes that now that things were cleared up and there was nothing to worry about anymore. It seemed that now that she saw her friends, she wasn't too upset and depressed about being left alone. I had planned to be there by her side, to grow a little more strength to tell her how I felt these past few days with her. But then the next day, she was attacked by a hollow, so things got a bit sidetracked for me..._

* * *

><p>"Ugh, that barely helped me at all." I groaned under my breath as I looked up towards the sky from the room.<p>

It was nightfall by the time I stopped trying to calm myself down, the moon was only just peeking from behind the rooftop. Rukia hadn't stopped by, so it was clear that she was upset about our fight. I wanted to go outside and see if there was a way out, but she warned me about Byakuya's security team just waiting to pounce on me. So I reluctantly stayed in my spot but out of anger I slammed the door to the outside world.

"Dammit, I just need my cross and it would be easy to get Hikari back."

It would have been so easy, or maybe a suicide mission at that, but I didn't really care. Now that I had been thinking about Hikari so much, it became clear to me. A lot of things I did, the reasons why I teased her so much when we were growing up. It wasn't just because we were supposed to be enemies, but also because I liked her. After seeing the real, awful and tear-stained side of her, I just wanted to protect her. I wanted to make sure she found out the truth about herself and her reasons why she was left behind.

"Hikari..."

I felt ridiculous to say her name out loud like that, but since there was no one around then it would be okay. My body fell to the floor, right onto my bed where I laid there for a moment in silence. The desk beside me rattled loudly but I tried to focus my attention on other things at the time.

"I think... I love Hikari. Is that even... okay?"

"I fucking knew it!" C.J's voice erupted from the floor underneath me, the floor boards where my bed was started to shake.

I rolled off the bed and nearly had a heart attack as my covers and pillows threw themselves around. Once there was nothing blocking its way, the floor pane opened and the first thing I saw was bright blue hair. Then his smoky eyes were next followed by that idiotic grin he wore all the time as I struggled to get out.

"C.J!" I whispered furiously with a hint of relief as I got up to aid in his attempt to get out from the passage-way.

He was limping when he finally set foot in my room, but his smile was unwavering despite the pain. I could tell he was still badly injured, but he tried his best to hide the pain with that smile of his. His arms threw themselves around my neck out of happiness, but then left as soon as he felt me stiffen up. But without warning I chuckled out loud and threw mine over his shoulders before he could apologize.

"I knew you loved her." He whispered into my neck as we hugged for a moment, but his voice was understanding and kind.

"I hope you don't mind."

"Better you than some weak person." He winked his eye at me as something pink crawled through and jumped onto his back with a huge smile.

"Pink mole?"

"Be nice Senpai, she's our ticket out of here. Ishida, meet Yachiru Kusajishi: lieutenant of Squad Eleven. And my new friend."

"Aw, you're too sweet, Blueberry!" The pink-haired girl laughed happily at Ciel, who was blushing a little when we caught each other's gaze.

"Blueberry?" I couldn't help but laugh to myself, which in turn made Ciel blush even more red and glare at me with all his strength.

"Don't tell Hikari."

"Of course not... Hi there Yachiru-San, my name is Kouhei Ishida. But you can call me-"

"No time! We have to get out of here!"

"Why, what's wrong Yachiru?"

"Byaukya's gonna come any minute, 'cause I took this!" She exclaimed as she pulled my pentacle from her sleeve, kinda like if it was a magic trick.

"Where'd you get that?"

"I took it from Byakuya's desk, we have to leave now before-" She stopped, the sudden presence of Byakuya filled the room as he walked down the hall at a slow but defining pace.

"Quick, put it on and let's get your sister!" C.J whispered as we struggled to squeeze into the secret passages, but Yachiru stopped and turned to us.

"But she already got out, we just have to find her now."

"She what!?" Both of us shouted loudly as Byakuya's footsteps got closer and closer to the door, his hand right against the handle as we spoke.

"Get in!"

"Can we even fit-"

"Don't question it, let's go!" C.J scolded me as he grasped my wrist and pulled me head-first into the small hole as the door slowly opened.

Yachiru barely fit with us guys in it, but she managed to get around us and closed the lid before the door opened all the way. We stayed still as he walked through the room, his footsteps right above us for a moment. He continued to walk around the room, which enticed Yachiru to squeeze through and get in front. I could hardly see her bright pink hair, but her eyes were glowing a little in the dark path.

"This way, follow me." She whispered as she motioned with her hands to follow us without a moment's rest.

C.J stopped for a minute to make sure I was okay to move, he remembered the huge gash across my chest. But thanks to Rukia's treatment it was good as new, so I nodded my head and he smiled at me. We both awkwardly crawled through the secret passage as quick as we could, but with our huge bodies it was hard at first.

"What's taking so long?"

"Sorry Yachiru-"

"But it's kinda cramped between us guys."

"We're almost outside... I think."

"Wait, what do you mean, _I think." _I asked in an angry voice, but C.J intervened and got ahead of me without warning, his eyes told me to listen.

"She had to take me around three times before we got to your room, there's a lot of passage ways. But don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say, where's your sword?"

"Gone, but I can make a new one. Don't worry, they think they know me, but they don't."

"Great..."

_"We're coming Hikari, just you wait. Hopefully, we'll find you before the sun comes up. Don't you worry._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Alrighty then, I hope you liked this chapter... It's a little off (time wise) I know, but in a way it works out too. Next is Miyu's and she got tons of help from you-know-who. I hope you'll like it, because her memory's kinda cute too.<em>**

**_We're getting somewhere good with this, I hope you read on to find out!  
><em>**


	19. Miyu's New Year Blues

**Miyuki's POV: Five Days and Three Hours Earlier**

I was slowly getting annoyed with the whole waiting in peril, not that I was in any real danger. It was just... how long should it have taken for my brother and Ciel to break away? How badly injured were they? Okay, they were seriously injured. But five days without hearing anything from them? It was slowly getting on my nerves, but I wasn't in much of a rush... for the most part. I was perfectly content with staying here... although there was one thing on my mind.

No one was talking about Hikari, at least not about her in this time and Rangiku were more than happy to tell me about little Hikari before she showed up in the Human World. But the times when I wanted to talk about now, they were quiet. Especially at this moment, everyone was silent and stiff. Rangiku was not the same bubbly girl she had been the past few days, the light in her eyes were dim. And Toshiro was doing paperwork... freaking paperwork! He tried to force his lieutenant to do it, but today... or tonight since it was pretty late... he was doing it.

"Miyu, we're going to go out real quick." Toshiro said loudly as Rangiku quickly stood from her seat and went towards the door with a bitter expression in her face.

"Would you like us to get you anything?"

"My freedom? Hikari's freedom? A one way trip home with my friends?"

"Nice try, but we'll bring you some sweets home." Rangiku forcefully laughed in a sweet voice as she came back to ruffle my hair to my surprise.

"Stop! You're going to make me fat!" I groaned playfully as her hand flinched when I sat back up to look at her, but she quickly smiled like nothing happened.

"Oh... sorry." She laughed softly with a little remorse in her voice instead of her usual happy-loving tone as she pulled her hand back into her chest.

I stared at both of them with confusion in my eyes, but Toshiro quickly motioned to Rangiku to get out. She quickly smiled at me one last time before rushing out the door without another look. The captain stared at me with bitter-sweet eyes as he closed the door, the familiar sound of the lock turning filled the room for a second. I got up out of reflex and tried to open the desk drawer, but as usual it was locked. I could sense my necklace was in there, but with nothing on the desk to use it was impossible to open.

"Miyuki." Toshiro's voice echoed through the door just as I finished shaking the drawer for about five minutes, which caused me to bite my tounge.

"H-Hitsugaya-Taicho?!"

"Are you... it is okay if I come in?"

"O-of course! Come in!" I said in a haste as I threw myself over the couch as he opened the door and came inside as I got comfortable.

My heart was thumping loudly as he turned his attention back to me, the pain in his face unbearable to look at. I gasped softly as he quickly came beside me and sat on the couch without warning. His teal eyes were full of sadness and bitterness, like something unspeakable just happened.

"I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"No... why would you say that, Hitsugaya?"

"Well, for the past few days, I thought you didn't like me much." He said with an honest voice, so honest that it made me laugh under my hand because he looked so cute.

"I'm sorry Hitsugaya, I thought you were kinda scary. But now I'm not afraid, I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

"It's alright, I'm sorry for being so scary." He teased me with a small smile, but as I laughed it quickly washed away with the seriousness in his eyes.

"I have something to tell you-"

"Before you do, may I ask where Rangiku is?"

"She's already drinking her sorrows away with Ikkaku and the others."

"Her... sorrows?"

"What I'm about to tell you... I want you to know we all tried to fight it. But in the end we were too weak." His voice was hard and cold, but his eyes looked like he was about to break down into tears.

"What is it...is it Hikari? Is she okay?!"

"Hikari..." He said in such a different voice that it broke my heart, the pure anguish he felt just came through without a filter.

"She will be executed. Tomorrow."

There was a pin-drop silence between us, my heart didn't even make a sound as I sat there. It was probably unnerving to see me like that, it was most likely why Toshiro looked so uncomfortable. The pain from my nearly-healed wounds seemed to grow hot-red and sear into my skin, that was how much I was hurting inside. I got up to walk it off, but my legs couldn't hold me up so I crumbled to the floor, gasping for air.

"Miyuki!" Toshiro said as he came beside me at the same speed, his pale-white hands around my shoulders to support me for a moment.

_Slap!_

The sound echoed through the room as his body jumped away out of reflex. He gingerly touched his cheek while I breathed heavily with my hand still in the air. For a moment, everything was forgotten: my whole life, the reason I was even in that room, what I was even angry about in the first place. But as his cheek color shifted to a light pink, and a wave of pain washed over his face... I knew it was true.

If he had been lying, then he would have been more aware to the fact that I would hit him. But he wanted me to hit him, he barely flinched when I slapped his face. For God's sake he was a captain! He was well-endowed with a sense of quick reactions to any given moment... right?

"Why...why Toshiro why?!"

"I tried Miyu, I really did. A lot of us did, but Kyōraku made his decision and... I'm sorry." He seemed genuinely sorry as I looked up to him at the last minute when I bit my lip.

I thought tears would fall at any given time, but they only stung the back of my eyes and refused to come out. He saw this and brushed my cheek, cautious the entire time in case I tried to hit him again. But instead of that, I just threw myself in his arms and clutched against his _haori _and cried like a baby. He was stunned momentarily before his arms wrapped themselves around my body and held me close.

It was unthinkable, they were going to kill her after all these years of torture and mayhem. The minute she comes back and they decide to end her life after they gave her a second chance. What messed up rules! What rules had she broken anyway? Was it because of Takashi? Shinose? What the hell did it matter if she was special now? This place was her home!

"I'm scared Captain... What am I.. how will I...I can't let this happen. Not to her..."

"I know... but I'm sorry. I can't do anything to help, I wish I could." His voice was soft and gentle as he started to rub the back of my head, a reflex from all those years ago most likely.

In the back of my head I sort of laughed, but there was no way it could come out so easily. He held me in his arms for a long time before I pulled away first. I sat there on the ground as he got up first to brush the dust off his pants. He was quiet and wary of me, as if I was about to try and make a break for the door. But all the strength in me vanished as time went on, it wasn't until he helped me up when it kinda came back to me.

"Rangiku must be worried that you're gone, you don't have to worry about me."

"There's some hope you know?" Toshiro quickly whispered to me as he walked over towards his desk and stood there without moving for a second.

I watched him smile a little as he opened the drawer and pulled out my necklace without a word. Inside my head, I was spewing out all kinds of curse words that would make Ciel blush. He sort of laughed at my expression, but without another glance he lightly tossed it towards me and walked back to the door. I stood there in utter confusion until he laughed tauntingly at me with this cheeky smile.

"Oops, how did that get out?" He said in a mock-terrified voice as he opened the door, walked out into the hall and stopped before it closed on him.

"Don't try to open that window, especially the one nearest to the desk. It's broken."

"Hitsugaya...Taichio?"

"Behave yourself Miyuki, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Why... what kind of person do you take me for, Hitsugaya? You can trust me, honest." I laughed just as playfully as he did, a sheepish grin playing at the corners of my lips.

"Be careful Miyu, I'll see you later."

"Laters Histugaya."

He nodded his head towards me, and with one swift tug the door was closed at the sounds of the door being locked filled the room again. Moments later my body instinctively put my necklace back around my neck, their voices filled up my head with ease. Like he said, I went to the window and sure enough it was easy to force open. No one was walking like normal, the sun was starting to set so it would be easy to slip without notice.

_"_Okay... you go this Miyu... just because you're alone doesn't mean you can't do this. You can do anything. Remember what Hikari did for you..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Four Years Ago<strong>_

_It was a cold winter night, Christmas had come and gone, and the new year was upon us. Hikari and I were walking down the street the day before New Year's Day, so it was packed. The snow was higher than usual that year, so it was hard to move smoothly. People were slipping and sliding along, but not Hikari. Despite her high heels, she was able to move gracefully along the icy sidewalk with ease._

_"How the heck are you able to move? I thought you hated high heels?" I grumbled as she slid beside me into a light pole, twirling around like in the movies._

_"I use the ice to my advantage, it's all in the control." Was all she said with a cheeky grin, her big brown eyes glinted in the light above._

_To my surprise, she got ahead of me and the group we were kinda walking along with. They stopped in their spots so they were able to watch her use the ice and stop with her heels just before she hit the sidewalk edge . As she turned around, they clapped and kinda made it a big deal, but she ate it up like it was nothing._

_"Geez Hikari, you and your people skills have grown so much haven't they?" _

_"Maybe..." She laughed playfully as I caught up with her at the light, as the others walked by with smiles on their faces._

_"You told me you were bad with people... and now look at you, making strangers laugh with your little antics."_

_"S-Shut up!" _

_Just seeing her like this made me giddy on the inside, it was the first time since school got out that we were together. To be honest, she and I were sort of new friends so it was awkward in the beginning. Kouhei and I had always gone to private schools, but this time I wanted to be normal. Obviously, I was denied at first, but with a little help from my brother, we convinced our parents (mostly our dad) to go to public school. It was during the morning assembly that Hikari and I met for the first time._

_We sat by each other on accident, and as the principal talked she had an unexpected bloody nose from an earlier fight. No one around her wanted anything to do with her, but I gave her my handkerchief out of reflex It was her eyes that got me, they were staring right through me for a moment before she took it. Later on she told me she was sensing my reiryoku for the first time, so she was trying to figure out what I was. I was a bit stunned that she would talk about it in the open, but she laughed and said no one ever paid attention to her._

_"I always get into fights, by both girls and boys. Girls because I'm so good with guys. Boys because although their teasing me about my hair, it bothers me. Must have some of Ichigo in me then..." She laughed easily although I couldn't help but gasp at hearing her father's name._

_"What? That's insane, there's nothing wrong with being so good with guys."_

_"They're just jealous people, they think that by being all cutesy and delicate that all the guys will swoon over them. People like that annoy me."_

_My heart kinda twinged in pain upon her words, since I was that type of girl in my other schools. I couldn't bring myself to tell her, so I laughed into my hand as she glanced over. After that, we became close friends in a matter of weeks to everyone's shock. All the "popular girls" wanted me at their sides, but I didn't want to be like them anymore. Although a lot of the guys treated me delicately, I was able to show that I wasn't like the others._

_Hikari was the greatest person in middle school, until winter break came around. Initially, that was the time I was going to meet Ciel at last (we didn't have any classes together). But after a major fight that included a gift I gave to her, Hikari and C.J were not talking to each other. It was the first time in forever that neither of them spent Christmas together, so in reality she was angry at herself._

_"Did we really have to come all the way out here dressed like this?" She exclaimed as her hands grasped onto the dress coat she wore above the frilly skirt I let her borrow._

_"Don't look at me, we were invited to a black-tie party, of course we had to wear something nice!"_

_"YOU were invited, these girls hate me because of my friendship with C.J! I'm just your plus-one."_

_"Aw come on, it'll be fun. I know these girls are a little bit... fussy. But you'll get the hang of it, look at the facts. You've gotten so much better with everyone else, no one's afraid of you! Plus you haven't been in a fight since school started!"_

_"Yeah yeah, I guess that's true." She grumbled to herself as she hid her blush behind the blue scarf I got her._

_"I know we'll be able to get them to like you, don't worry so much Hikari!"_

_She scratched her hair out of anger, but afterwards she slowly reverted back to her normal self and started to play with her highlights. It took us a few more slip and slide moments before we arrived at the party. Everyone was already there, including my brother, whom by now showed his dislike over Hikari. A few days after she became my friend, she finally met him and realized just by looking at him he was a Quincy. Both of them got into this huge fight, and ever since then they would argue just from a glance to the side._

_The party was overly crowded with people from school, and some older guys whom I'd never seen in my life. They were quickly smitten by Hikari, who had a little trouble getting away from them. Even Kouhei noticed this, who eventually came to her rescue and took her away from them. She looked like she was about to hit him, but instead she blushed bright red and nodded curtly before rushing off to the backroom._

_"Why'd you do that, brother?"_

_"No reason. She looked a bit uncomfortable, so I came to her rescue. I guess you can say it's because I can use this against her in the future." Kouhei laughed under his breath as he glanced over to Hikari with a glint of triumph in his eyes._

_As I looked over to her, he walked past me and ruffled my hair as though I missed something in his words. For the rest of the night, I stayed against the wall just watching the party unfold. Hikari looked quite happy with herself even though those guys were still watching her. But besides that, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ten minutes before twelve, something happened and I was to blame even though I hadn't moved from my spot._

_"Why did you have to bring her along?" The top girl (named Rei) asked me in a hushed voice, even though it was clear who she was talking about._

_"Because I wanted to, you didn't say she couldn't come."_

_"Why do you think I just invited you, there's no need for her to be here. Because of her, C.J didn't show up."_

_"Are you sure he didn't just ignore you?" Hikari came up beside me with an evil look in her eyes, to my horror and Rei's anger._

_"You know he can't stand the sight of you, what with that fake attitude and all. Why don't you show the others the true side to you...Rei-Chan."_

_Rei's blood was boiling when Hikari took a step back and laughed loudly into her sleeve. Without another glance, she smoothly made her way to the coat hanger, grabbed hers and walked out the door. The room was silent until Rei screamed into the air and chased after her without a word. Kouhei and I walked outside to see her screaming at Hikari, who was actually surprised and barely said a word._

_It was clear she was using C.J against her, you could see the tears forming in her eyes as time went on. People from inside the house started to come out, and were shocked to see such a "delicate girl" like Rei yelling at her. I couldn't take it anymore and got in the middle of their fight, but then the tables turned._

_"It's all your fault!" _

_"My fault?!"_

_"If you hadn't come here in the first place, then none of this would have happened! Why did you have to be such a goody-two-shoes or whatever-"_

_"Hey. That's enough now." Hikari intervened with a cold stare towards her, the aura around her something that could not just be ignored._

_"Yelling at me is one thing, but bringing Miyu into this is just pathetic. Is this how you handle things? By harsh words and violent means? No wonder I've never tried to be your friend... it's not worth my time."_

_Rei was silent with her mouth agape, the late snow fell on all of us but no one brushed it off. Hikari glanced over to me, and then back to the party where everyone slowly backed into. She chuckled into her scarf and turned away back towards the main part of town. But suddenly she stopped and turned back to Rei, who was still in shock._

_"Delicate girl my ass, no one likes that kind of person. They just see it as a way to get lucky, so make your decision and be who you really are. Or else you'll never be true to yourself."_

_And with that, she continued her way down the sidewalk without so much as a glance back to us. Kouhei came to my side and handed me my jacket, nudging me to follow her. I did as he asked me to and raced down to catch up with her. Again, she was using the ice to her advantage, so it was hard to get near to her. I slipped about ten times before she stopped and turned back to help me up as I fell again._

_"You know... you didn't have to intervene like that. She was bound to explode like that soon enough, there was no reason for you to get yelled at too."_

_"I couldn't stand idly by as she hurt you like that, plus the party was lame anyway. There were no cute boys around for the midnight kiss."_

_"Is that why you came out here? For a kiss?"_

_"Well kinda... I was hoping for one. To tell you the truth Hikari, I'm a delicate girl. Ever since I've met you though, I realized that I wanted to change but old habits die hard. I hope you're not mad with me..."_

_"Miyu..." She laughed into her mittens, a bright smile on her face that seemed so foreign it was heart-wrenching. "I've always known that you were delicate."_

_"Then why are you-"_

_"Because I want a friend like you, Ishida. Maybe that's why people don't like me that much, because I don't understand them. But when I'm with you, it's easier for me to understand. So thanks, for being there for me. I hope I didn't ruin your reputation or anything."_

_"Screw my reputation, I don't care about that anymore. Let's go home and eat real food."_

_"Great, I'm starving."_

_As we were laughing, the town clock rung twelve times and we heard people screaming and shouting all around us. Without warning, she grasped the sides of my face and kissed my nose with all her might. I was taken aback by her sudden gesture, but the look in her eyes made me laugh. She stayed the night with me, and the next morning had breakfast with my mother who was more than happy to see her at last._

_A couple of weeks into school, she made up with Ciel after they "had a fight and tumbled down the crater" although it was obvious something else happened. I was a little nervous at first, since I was the reason they had the fight to begin with. But on a Tuesday afternoon, just after the last bell rang, I waited patiently for them outside in the yard. Suddenly, there was this enormous pressure in the air, which could only be Hikari. But it was stronger, like there was someone else walking beside her with an incredible amount in them._

_I barely glanced up when I gasped at the sight of his hair, it was brilliantly-bright-blue like the sky. He was also very tall, taller than Hikari who was hardly to his chest when they walked side-by-side. It was hard to believe that this guy was her friend, let along a BEST FRIEND because of his appearance and stuff. She was smiling brighter than all the other time we were together as he looked down to her with such love in his smoky-gray eyes that melted my insides. For a moment, you could see his __psychotic smile until he saw me. He stopped momentarily and just froze until Hikari punched his hip and pulled him along with a little less crazy smile._

_"Miyu, this is my best friend in the whole universe. Say hello to C.J!" She laughed in an innocent voice as C.J refused to let go of her waist._

_"Stop it you moron, be nice and say hi!"_

_"Oh alright," He groaned playfully as he finally let her go and suddenly grasped my hand with a strong hold. "Pleasure to meet'cha Ishida!"_

_"Ah... the pleasure is mine?" _

_It was strange that this giant boy was so kind to me, I thought he would have been at least a little awe-struck at my appearance. But no, he didn't even have a double-look at me when he showed up. So I was a bit nervous when it came to C.J at first, it wasn't until freshman year when I started to like him. At that time, I think Hikari also fell for my brother, but that's for another time..._

* * *

><p>"Yeah... that's the motivation I needed." I laughed into my hands as the cool wind picked up outside the room.<p>

When the coast was clear, I slipped through the crack and closed the door behind me as I jumped down. It felt weird to be running around somewhere I didn't really know, and barefoot at that. But with Hikari in mind, I sort of decided to wing it and ran down the walkway with ease (_their treatments they gave left me with new found energy). _

I think it was an hour later, as the moon came out, when someone spotted me. Not even ten minutes later I heard people shouting at me, trying their best not to make themselves noticeable. But it was futile, and since there was no way in hell I was going to be the girl in peril any longer, I decided to kick things up a notch.

"I concede, _daburu toge no muchi!" _I shouted in the air as two whips appeared in my hand, which I used to attack the soul reapers.

Many of them backed off, but some tried to get in my way and grab onto me. That only made me attack again, so this time they were hesitant. Somehow I managed to get away from them, pleased that my offense was not that bad.

"Ciel... brother... where are you guys?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ugh, to be honest, this chapter (or actually this memory) really took me a long time to get going. I'm sorry if it's a bit shitty, it's the best that I can do, so don't be mean about it. I'm trying to hurry and write more before school starts, but this really got me stuck.<strong>_

_**There's more action to come, so hopefully I'll be able to get it to you guys shortly... well, not too shortly.**_

_**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!**_


	20. Realization is Always Painful

_**I hope you guys like this, I'm so close to the climax! Super close actually...  
><strong>_**_Well, enjoy. Don't be afraid to leave some reviews for me. Thanks for reading, it means a lot to me._**

* * *

><p>"Come on guys! Help me out here!" I screamed out of anger as I ran into another dead end for the fifth time in the same hour.<p>

My body crumbled to the floor so I could get a moment's rest, but mostly because I was annoyed and wanted to give up. It was late into the night, and even though I heard someone say Brother and Ciel managed to escape, there was no sign of them. I probably passed by the same building three times in an attempt to catch up with them, but despite the agonizing pain in my side, nothing happened. Time was starting to slip from my grasps, and without proper communication between the guys it was starting to get on my nerves.

"Ciel! Big brother!" I shouted into the air as I got up to move on, but the sight of the white tower stopped me from going and further from where I was.

It was illuminated by the light of the moon, and even though it was faint, I could tell Hikari was up there. Toshiro explained to me that was where Rukia was held a long time ago, and it was normally heavily guarded. But since it was Hikari, and no one had used it for so long, there was only one guy watching over her. If we actually made it up there, it felt like it would be easy to beat him up, break down the door and take Hikari home.

But in my head, I knew it was basically a suicide mission especially if the guy held a high seat in one of the squads. Maybe Kouhei and C.J could take him down, but even if we did, how would we get out? Would Hikari even be able to move? She was pretty messed up after whatever took over her for that time, and did she even have her sword? I don't think soul reapers could just create new ones out of thin air... it was gonna be harder than I thought.

"Miyuki! Deep and exhausted voices shouted my name at the same time, their reiatsus filled me with warmth and comfort as they got closer.

I turned toward them, but something blind-sided me and took me to the ground. He suffocated me a little, but I couldn't push him away at a time like this. The pain that I felt in his arms were too much to handle, his tear strained face hidden from my brother painful to look at. He looked so tired and beaten, but the glee in his eyes made it all better.

"C.J, don't glomp over my sister!" Kouhei angrily laughed as C.J picked me up from the ground and pressed his face into my neck like he always did.

"Miyu... you're okay." He whispered softly into my ear as I wrapped my arms around his neck for a better hold of his sturdy body.

"Oh I'm better... you guys are okay too..." I laughed tearfully into his shoulder, for a moment all I wanted to do was soak up his warmth.

This got him to grunt out a laugh under his breath, but there was no way he could ruin this moment for me. Out of reflex I dug my nails into his shoulder blades because I thought he was going to push me away. But all he was doing was shifting me around so it was more comfortable for me. I pushed away first as I heard him groan to himself, his arm around my waist tightened from the pain.

"You need to cut your nails, Miyu." He whimpered playfully at me when we looked at each other with red eyes from the tears we shed together.

"Mind if I get some of that love?" Kouhei teased me as he opened his arms wide for me to jump in, even though he looked a bit tired too.

I glared at him for a second before I jumped right into his arms and let him swing me around off the floor. His scent relaxed my nerves as he set me back to the ground with a flourish. I felt much better now that I knew my brother was safe, and not in critical condition. As I pulled away he smiled at me and playfully tapped my chin.

"You're alright..." He sighed happily to himself as Ciel came around and wrapped his arm around my waist once more.

"I'm alright brother... I am."

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt this but we have to hurry." A younger girl's voice spoke to all of us as her bright pink hair blocked most of the moon's light from where she was perched.

"We won't make it in time before sunrise if we dilly-dally."

"You're right, but it doesn't help that we keep getting lost."

"Aren't we just going to the white tower, how hard is it to get there?"

"You forget that there's people looking for you guys now, if we keep taking turns then we won't make it." The girl stated in a matter-of-fact voice as she jumped smoothly from where she was high above.

"What's the big rush anyway?" Ciel asked as he sucked in a bit of breath, a calm and casual look in his eyes when he glanced up from the floor.

"It's not like this is a matter of life or death right? We're just trying to get out of here with Hika aren't we?"

"Did no one tell you? Did you not say anything?" I asked bluntly to both of them, but the girl jumped in my way before I could interrogate Kouhei.

"I was with C.J, when I heard the news I didn't want to tell him yet." She answered with a sudden flash of guilt in her eyes, the perpetual blush on her cheeks grew even darker.

"What are you guys talking about? Am I missing something?" C.J asked with a little worry in his voice, but none of us wanted to answer him back with such horrible realization.

"Guys..?"

"I guess I can play the villian here..." Kouhei sighed bitterly out loud as he walked over and placed a kind hand on his shoulder, kinda like a doctor did when delivering bad news.

"Let me just put it as bluntly as possible alright?"

"O-Okay..."

"Hikari will be...executed tomorrow. If we don't hurry and find a way out."

There was silence all around us, as if the people chasing after us decided to take a break at that exact moment. I wanted to go over and see if Ciel was doing okay, but he quickly slapped Kouhei's hand and walked away for a second. The girl stopped me from going over to him as he crouched down and held his head between his knees. You could see his shoulders shaking a little, the soft sounds of his sobs were faint but noticeable.

"Yachiru, how much longer do you think we'll need before sunrise?"

"About another hour, if we're lucky they won't do it exaclty at the crack of dawn."

"You're name is Yachiru?"

"Yachiru Kusajishi, lieutenant of Squad Eleven at your service." She playfully answered me with a tired grin, just as C.J stood up and slowly made his way back to us.

I cringed at his harsh expression, the light in his eyes from before simply disappeared with a snap. He seemed a bit out of it for a second before she shook his hair and brushed it back. I couldn't help but think that he looked different when he pushed his hair back like that, it wasn't natural. His eyes seemed dark as he looked over to Yachiru and Kouhei, whom themselves saw the light was not the same as before.

"Which way is the fastest, Yachiru? We need a way no one goes through that often." He immediately asked with a sudden change of voice, the look in his eyes that seemed strange to look into.

"There's a pathway only Squad Four members take, but everyone knows about them. Hopefully no one's using that way tonight."

"Then lead the wa-"

"Ciel, are you alright?" I couldn't stop myself from interrupting as my hands grasped onto his shirt tightly out of reflex.

"Yeah... I'm fine Miyuki, just needed to think a little that's all." He assured me with a sheepish grin, but the look in his eyes said otherwise.

I wanted to fight back, to tell him he didn't look like my Ciel that I cared for. But it was late, and the more time I worried over him, the less we had to save Hikari. He could tell I was antsy, so his arms wrapped themselves around my waist and lifted me high into the air for a quick second. I held my breath as he set me back to the ground and kissed me with all his might despite Yachiru and Kouhei standing right there. Yachiru laughed a little too loudly for my comfort but Brother was silent yet understanding. I felt a warm hand brush against my cheek as he leaned in to my ear, which I thought he was going to kiss.

"I just... I can't fathom the idea of losing my best friend. Not again. I love you Miyuki, just know that much."

As he pulled away, there was a painful sensation in my heart for a split second before he smiled at me. I forced down all my emotions and nodded with my own smile to show I understood. We both turned around towards Yachiru, who was more than happy to lead the way. Everyone followed right behind her to where the path was, each of us with troubled thoughts in our head.

It was going to be hard, but we were going to find a way to save her. Without dying, so we could all go home safe and sound.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Hikari's POV<strong>

"Nezu! Come here right now! Please!" I shouted at the top of my lungs while my hand banged against the door with all my strength.

_Hikari, you're going to bruise your hand. Please stop this at once.  
>"But I can't <em>_K__yōfū__! I gotta get out of here! I need to save my friends-"_

_What you need to do is relax! All this pent-up energy isn't going to help you later, it's bad for you. Please Hikari, stop._

"I... I don't want to." I cried shamelessly into the wall as I slid down and started to cry out of the blue into my sleeve again.

The tears kept coming and coming without stop, it all happened so fast that it seemed unreal. One minute I was starting to get used to being in here, next thing I know I'm sentenced to death. Soon. When the light came into the sky, they would come for me and take me out somewhere for everyone to see. Then my life would be over, and there's was nothing I could do about it. My friends... my family... would be nothing.

"I just... I'm scared _K__yōfū__... _I'm terrified."

_I know you are, but screaming like a baby isn't going to help anyone. Is there nothing you can do? Don't you even get a trial or something?  
>"This isn't the Human World, there are rules we have to follow. And besides, no one wants to be my lawyer anyway. They wouldn't want to represent me, it would be a messed up trial."<em>

_What about your friends? Family? Who would do the execution anyway? Didn't you say that the thing they used broke many years ago?_

"Yeah... Ukitake and old man Kyōraku destroyed it years ago after it nearly killed my mother..." I replied back to her with a heavy sigh, tired of talking in my head because it felt so quiet in my room now.

"I have no idea who or what will do it... maybe they have a new thing."

_Perhaps... But for now we shouldn't waste your energy on a man like Nezu. He's probably long gone, trying his best to get away before it even starts._

"I wonder if that's true... Rangiku's probably drinking her sorrows away with Ikkaku and the others. My mother must be in her room crying her little amethyst eyes out while Byakuya's... Byakuya..."

_That old bastard! One of these days, I want to come out and give him a piece of my mind!_

"He was just doing his duty _K__yōfū__... _he's not normally like that."

_That still doesn't give him the right to be so harsh, what kind of inconsiderate person would deliver such horrible news in that manner! I won't ever forgive him!_

"Oh _K__yōfū__..."_

* * *

><p><strong>A Few Hours Ago<strong>

_"Hikari, come to the door." Byakuya's deep voice echoed through the walls, sending horrible chills down the back of my neck._

_"Is something wrong, Byakuya-Oji? May I ask what's happening out there?"_

_I should have realized that something was wrong the minute I felt his reiatsu outside my room. Along with Renji's immediate silence, if things were okay then Renji wouldn't have been so quiet. But the tense atmosphere made me slightly happy that I was in the room and not out there with the grown-ups staring me down.I peeked through the crack and tried to see their expressions but it was futile._

_"I'm only going to say this once," Byakuya answered me with a harsh glare that pierced through the tiny crack. "At sunrise, you will be executed."_

_"Taicho-Sama!" Renji's voice was shocked to hear his words put out so bluntly, but I was taken aback by his sentence that so casually come out._

_"E-Executed? O-On what charges?"_

_"You broke a lot of rules, Hikari. You took your brother's power without properly asking if that was alright."_

_"If I may say this out loud; I was given rules to follow? The last thing I recall before being dropped off at my aunt's house was that I shouldn't interfere with the Soul Reapers who pass through Karakura Town. That was it, nothing said I couldn't take Takashi's power in case of an emergency."_

_"He was a Soul Reaper who was passing through, so technically speaking you broke that rule."_

_"That may be, but execution is a harsh punishment. Shouldn't it be a little more... oh I don't know... less harsh?"_

_"What more can we do?"_

_"Banishment works for me. Oh wait, you guys already tried that... didn't you? Look where that lead us to-"_

_"I don't like that attitude of yours, Hikari." Byakuya stated with a powerful voice, but I merely scoffed and bashed my hand against the wall out of retaliation._

_"Well pardon me, Uncle. I was merely stating a fact, a fact that doesn't seem to be the best subject around these parts. What else can I say about it?"_

_"Hikari, don't do this to yourself."_

_"Well guess what? I'm going to die, so I'm going to do whatever the hell I want! I know for a fact you're just going to stand idly by and let my family suffer like you did with mo-"_

_"That's enough! I will not tolerate anymore of your tone, young lady!" He shouted angrily through the crack as his reiatsu soared high enough to make me fall to my knees._

_"It's your own fault for doing what you did, and I apologize for following rules given to me. Unlike you."_

_I had to admit it, he twisted my words around real good to get me to stop talking back. But then again, it was awful to know my own uncle could burn me without knowing that term. Renji started to say something in retaliation but Byakuya was done. He was just... done. I heard his haori swish behind his back and the soft pitter-patter of his feet as he turned away._

_"Byakuya!" I shouted bravely to his backside, the idea he would yell at me for using his name without a proper title raced through my head._

_There was a quiet moment before he turned around and stared coldly through the crack, right in the perfect spot. I cringed and shivered at his aura, since it was the first time in my entire life I didn't use a title. Even Renji was a bit more silent as Byakuya stepped forward and came close to the wall with a hand against it. Although we couldn't see each other, I refused to lift my head and settled with it touching the wall in line with his hand._

_"I-If you're not too mad... will you at least be there for me tomorrow?"_

_"...As you wish."_

_I nearly broke down in tears at his choice of words, maybe he used them to make it even worse for me. But for whatever reason, I had to acknowledge him in some way before he got angry again. It took me a second to get myself back into a talking mood without them realizing I was biting my lip hard enough to draw blood._

_"I see... thank you Oji-San." I whispered in a half-ass attempt to sound strong, but the harder I held back the worse my voice sounded._

_"Farewell... Hikari."_

_The tears finally fell as he turned his back to me yet again, but this time the air wasn't as bad as before. With him gone, I could cry to myself, but softly because Renji refused to move from his spot. I knew why he was staying behind, he probably thought it was unreal that his niece was about to be executed just like her mother. We weren't the closet people when I was growing up, Takashi was his favorite child here in the Soul Society. But I guess the irony of the whole thing really got to him at last before he left to follow his captain._

_"You had a good run kid, didn't you?"_

_"Could have been better... but for the most part I guess it was."_

_"Hikari..."_

_"Go, he's waiting for you. I'll be fine, really. See ya on the other side, Uncle."_

_"See ya then... kid."_

_Without another word, he was gone too, so this time I wailed loudly into the air for a good ten seconds. Every part of my body was sore just from that conversation, especially my chest where Shinose left his mark. I grasped onto my shirt and tried to keep myself from hyperventilating too much, knowing that it wasn't going to end well. But someone came around and had to ruin my process before I could make it work._

_"Boy, that was awkward wasn't it?" He half-laughed and half-coughed to me before I could fix my voice from cracking as I spoke._

_"N-Nezu?!" I stammered out as I quickly wiped my eyes and mouth, but then I realized he couldn't see my horrible state of being._

_"You alright sweetheart? Those were some pretty harsh words, especially from your uncle."_

_"No worries, I'm a little used to harsh words from people. It's not like I'm a small child anymore, I'm a little happy he didn't sugar coat it."_

_"Ah... I see. How...how are you, by the way? Are you ready for this?"_

_"Well... I'm trying to tell myself I am but it's not going that way. Right now I'm kinda wishing that I had ignored their presences when they came over."_

_"Hey, it's not your fault but good for you, sweetheart. Thought you should hear some slightly better news: your little friends have all escaped and are currently on their way over here."_

_"How the hell is that better!?" I cried angrily as I suddenly found the urge to hit something, but before I could stop myself I ended up punching the wall._

_"Whoa! What the hell?!" Nezu shouted in a confused tone as he heard my fingers crack and the faint scream from the back of my throat._

_As he became all flustered and worried, I tried to block his shouting and fell to the ground. Not in a painful crumple just a small ball where the world seemed fake and unreal. It took Nezu about ten minutes to find someone that was up at this hour and would help me. Turns out the only people who were up and would help me was Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his "daughter" Nemu. After some quiet pleading, Mayuri came up here and allowed Nemu to fix my hand before dawn. The door barely opened so Nemu could slip through, but it was wide enough for me to see Kurotsuchi-Taicho stand there for a second before he left too._

_"I thought you promised you wouldn't hit any more walls... Hikari?" Nemu asked in a low voice as her "father" went back to the laboratory without her._

_"Yeah... so did I. Sorry I didn't follow through."_

_"It's alright, at least I'm here to patch you up... again." She laughed softly, the light in her eyes got a bit brighter as she thought of the past._

_I couldn't believe that she remembered what happened all those years ago, even I vaguely remembered. I don't think I was even four when I accidentally punched Byakuya's tree when training with Takashi and Ichigo. Ichi-Dad... I mean dad panicked and had to think of something before Rukia found out and scolded him. Nemu happened to pass by and reluctantly helped me with her special way, which made me happy since I always saw her with a sad look in her eyes all the time. She was happy in her own way when she helped me, and today was not an exception._

_"I'll miss you, little birdie." She whispered as her hand lightly brushed some of my hair and a few tears from my face._

_"Yeah... so will I."_

_Nemu quickly got out before Nezu closed the door back to it's original spot and left without another word. It was a while before I could actually talk out loud again, but Nezu was understanding. He waited very patiently and probably thought of how he was going to say his words to me before he spoke out loud first._

_"Feeling better, kid?"_

_"Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I got a little mad."_

_"Are you really feeling better?"_

_"No... not by a long shot. I haven't said goodbye to everyone." I answered truthfully to him as my hand flexed itself to feel more comfortable again._

_He chuckled a little under his breath, but didn't really say much after that since it was kinda wrong to. After all, I was only sixteen-and-a-half with my whole life still ahead of me... or so I wanted it to be. And my three best friends were probably going to get captured in the end and taken home with a strong warning to stay away from the Soul Society for the rest of their lives. But in the end they would fight and end up hurting everything that our parents had built up these past years in peace._

_"What's going to happen to my friends? They're gonna go home aren't they?"_

_"They should be, safe and sound."_

_"Then why were they here in the first place? There's gotta be a real reason, right?"_

_"Don't look at me, I'm just a guard."_

_"Very funny... mind telling me who's helping them?"_

_"Apparently it's Yachiru Kusajishi from Squad Eleven."_

_What the heck, freaking Yachiru? I wonder if she got close to Ciel when she was supposed to be watching him. I bet he told her about when we were little and I gave him his stupid nickname. That always made people feel more sympathetic for him, but then again it was a good story. And Ciel was a great person, so besides the story she would've fallen for his charms the moment he woke up. _

_"Ah, her tunnels huh? I've always wanted to run through those when I was younger."_

_"Didn't we all?" Nezu laughed quietly to himself, which made me a little happy that I could make someone laugh still._

_"Hey, do you-"_

_"I'd like to be alone... if that's what you were going to ask."_

_"I see, alright then. Although-"_

_"Although?"_

_"Never mind, see ya in a few hours... sweetheart."_

_And with a harsh chuckle he flashed off somewhere before I could reply to his strange departure. I sat there on the ground for what felt like hours before I started to shout his name again. I didn't really have a reason, I just wanted someone to tell me what time it was because it felt late. And since I couldn't see where the sun was, I figured that he could tell me how much longer I had in this world._

* * *

><p>"<em>K<em>_yōfū__..._I'm scared as balls."

_Well that's a little indecent to say out loud, but I know how you feel. But think this, we had a pretty good run... right?_

"Yeah, I guess you're right. We did have a good run in the end."

She giggled in my head and the warm feeling of someone wrapping their arms around me came to me again. It was too good to be real, so I tried to brush it away before I started to cry again. But it kept getting stronger and stronger so I failed miserably and grasped my sleeves tighter as I cried softly to myself again. Maybe the hollow-me would come out right before I died so I could die with a flourish.

Whatever the case... I wanted it to be quick and painless.


	21. A Bloody Reunion

_Ding...Dong... you're gonna die... Ding...Dong...your world is crashing down... Dong...Ding...without you the world is in flames... Dong...Ding...he's coming to take you away..._

The bells outside were loud when I finally woke up, the pain in my back too much to ignore anymore. Every part of my body was in pain actually, since I fell asleep leaning against the door. The sun was bright and obnoxious with it's light as it shone through the crack, the birds chirped gaily beside me. I tried to brush my hair to take the anxiety away, but it kept coming back to me.

"_K__yōfū__... _are you there? That wasn't you singing that song was it?"

_Song...? What song Hikari? I didn't hear a song, are you alright? How's your back, can you move at all?  
><strong>"<strong>Whoa, easy on the questions there __K__yōfū__. Let's see; my back is fine, it just needs to crack. And second, someone was singing a song to me in my head. I thought it was you, but now that you say that... maybe it was hollow-me.**"**_

I heard her groan out in anger, but she didn't seem to phase through me as usual. My eyes were stinging from last night tears, my neck was still drenched in a bit of that cold sweat. Without even trying to get up, I rolled away from the wall so my back could get limber again before I stretched. As everything slowly got back to it's original state, the song kept repeating in the back of my head... but instead of freaking me out it actually got me thinking.

_**"**Ding dong, you're gonna die. Ding dong, your world is crashing down. Dong ding, without you the world is in flames. Dong ding... he's coming to take you away.**"**  
>That's an awful song, what does it mean anyway? <em>

"I-I don't know... is she trying... to warn me-"

**KABOOM!**

The entire room shook dangerously as I jumped to my feet before it knocked me to the ground. Blood was wafting in the air, but it wasn't mine... My hands cradled my head as the shaking came to a eerie stop, the sound of something creaking filled the air. Seconds later, I heard the door crash violently against the ground and the sun's warm rays touched my skin at last. Before I could even think I looked up and got half-blinded by the sun.

"Ow!" I cried softly, hiding my eyes so they could adjust to the harsh light outside waiting for me.

Both _K__yōfū _and I were quiet, expecting someone to come out of nowhere and just end my life then and there. But to my surprise, no one came to check out what happened, it felt like no one even heard it. I wanted to run out and feel the wind through my hair again, but I was wary of what could be waiting there.

"_K__-__K__yōfū__..._should we... go outside?"

_Shouldn't we wait? After all, this is very suspicious and dangerous. If we just go out willy-nilly then someone would think this is our doing. Of course it's not, but who knows what's out there. Maybe we should just wait..._

"But I... I wanna go outside." I said in a child's voice, so soft and innocent that even she had nothing to say back to me.

My first few steps were cautious, but by the time I came to the edge I jumped right out and gasped. The air was so much cleaner and fresh, better than inside the tower itself. No one was there, I couldn't tell that everyone was still in their buildings and hadn't noticed it at all. It was strange to be here again, so open when you were a criminal set to be executed in about another hour or two.

"H-Hello?" I stuttered as I took a few more steps, but my foot touched something sticky and warm so I screamed a little in shock.

My body froze immediately as I raised my foot away from the puddle of blood, the same blood I smelt a little bit ago. The inside of my stomach was churning the wrong way as I glanced around until I saw him. It was no one I knew, but the fact he was dead with his own sword stuck between his larynx got to me. I gagged into my hand and crumbled down to my knees, my emotions all out of whack at the sight of the dead person.

_Hikari, get a hold of yourself! He's dead, there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, in the future you'll see more-_

"What future!?" I screamed out of anger at _K__yōfū__, _who stammered a bit as I stood up and started pacing in my spot out of reflex.

"There is no future, not here at least. I'm a freak of nature, even my own uncle thinks that of me. I just wanted to know what happened that day, all I remember is someone showed up and the next thing I know I'm bleeding! How hard is it for someone to tell me what happened that day? What the hell is inside me? What is it!"

I wanted to hit something again, but since I knew it was wrong to punch a wall again I just screamed and fell to my knees again. My hands bashed lightly against the floor, but it wasn't enough for me to get my emotions out. Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall while I was out in the open. Something started coming my way, but I was too distressed to really focus on it.

"I'm just... a kid. I just wanted to remember, that's all. I wanted a family and friends who would like me... even if I wasn't as bright anymore. But now I've come to terms that... no one likes me."

"Hikari!"

The bones in my body stiffened at the sound of his voice, his reiatsu filled my insides with warmth and familiarity. Even before I looked up there was a smile on my face, the tears from before were now happy tears. My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling to much as I finally stood up so I could see him. His familiar dark blue hair, his hazel eyes that shone even bright behind his glasses that needed to be pushed up a little.

I started to run, run as fast as I could without so much as a glance to the dead body behind me. I knew there was a trail of blood from where I stood, but none of that mattered to me. We met in the middle of the red bridge, kinda like in those cheesy movies Miyu liked. He picked me up from under my arms and twirled me all around in our spot before he just held onto me. I felt warm and safe in his arms, the sense of home filled my heart to the point of breaking. As I pulled away he suddenly kissed me with so much force that my lips felt bruised and beaten. But I was so happy that I just kissed back just as hard, which made him smile even more. His hands ran through my hair and down my back until we pulled apart to give each other a moment's breath. We just stared at each other and laughed until there was nothing to laugh about, even though there was nothing to begin with.

"Hikari..."

"K-Kouhei."

He smiled my favorite crooked grin before leaning down to kiss the top of my forehead in a gentle way. As I brushed my fingers through his hair he kissed almost every inch of my face with such careful movements it was cute to laugh at. My lips curled up into a smile but froze when he pulled back and looked at me with a quizzical look. Then all of a sudden he started to brush my cheeks with his thumb, sometimes with a little spit at the tip.

"Ew, what the heck are you doing?" I groaned as he stopped midway down my chin and stared deeply into my eyes.

"You look like a hot mess." He stated as a matter of fact with his familiar bored look in his eyes like when we were younger.

I was about to say something back, but then my eyes glanced down and saw that he was right. The white hakama I wore was practically brown with the dust from the tower. My hair, from the look of my shadow, was up on one side thanks to sleeping against the door. But when I looked back to him, it was clear he was a little worse than me. The shirt he wore was a bit tattered from climbing through Yachiru's tunnels, the wound across his chest was still a bit red but not as bad. And his eyes, despite the light in them, they were tired and worn out like he refused to sleep properly these past days of solitude.

"I can't believe I kissed your face... it tasted like dust."

"I can't believe that..."

"Believe what?"

"That you're alright...and so am I." My voice was a little shaky with relief as I grabbed onto his sleeve out of reflex with a sheepish smile.

He seemed a bit confused until it hit him, how worried I had been all these days alone in the tower with the path of death in front of me. He knew that my own death didn't matter to me as much as my friends' safety in my own home. I saw that he was slowly realizing that I would have gladly given my life to let my friends go, even though I hadn't done anything wrong.

"Hikari..." I heard him sigh apathetically into my hair as he pulled me back in for a few more seconds, mostly so he could feel my warmth in his arms again.

"I'm sorry... s'not what you expected after five days?"

"No... it's actually the exact thing I expected." This time he chuckled softly with a small grin as I pulled away for a moment to stare up at his big hazel eyes.

"Where are the others? They're not-"

"Relax Hikari, they're find. Yachiru and them are trying to find a way out, but I wanted to see you first."

"Where were you? Did you get her to help out?"

"No, Ciel did. I met your mother, she's a very lovely person. No wonder you couldn't forget about her." His voice faltered at the end when he saw me start to cry just hearing about my mother doing well.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't seen her yet... so I kinda got worried."

"It's alright, you're safe with me. I won't let them take you away again, I promise you that."

"Kouhei..."

"Yes, Hikari?"

"You promise not to freak out?"

"...Okay? What is it?"

"I... I just wanted to tell you... I love you."

As soon as the words came out from my lips I immediately pulled away and walked down the bridge as quick as I could. My cheeks were burning hot red and there was nothing he could say to make them go away. I couldn't just stand there while my friends were aimlessly wandering with Yachiru, even if Kouhei was with me. I felt more at peace now that it got off my chest, the nagging feeling that for so long I told myself was impossible. Tears from before streamed down my face for only a second before something grabbed onto my hand and roughly pulled me back.

"What did you say, Kurosaki?" Kouhei's voice was deep and demanding as he stared down at me with his intense hazel eyes, something that I couldn't look at at first.

"I-I said I-I love you. Now let me go, they're gonna be killed if I don't do something!"

"How can I let you go when you just confessed to me. There's no way in hell I'll let them take you now!" He shouted so furiously as his arms wrapped around my body to render me immobile.

"K-Kouhei?! What are you saying?" My voice came out weak as he brushed the messy side of my hair from my face with a gentle hand and kissed the tip of my nose without warning.

"I wanted to say it first, not the other way around."

"What?"

He laughed as loud as he possible could before I looked up to him with a confused look on my face. When we caught each other's gaze, he simply brushed my cheek and kissed the top of my forehead before leaning in to me. His head was so gentle and warm that it sent chills down the back of my neck before I could stop him. We stood there with interlocked hands for a minute before he whispered softly,

"I love you too, you little idiot."

As he ruffled the top of my head I sort of felt a little angry, but as he pulled away I started to laugh. He was a bit dumb-struck at my sudden laughter, especially when I doubled-over and fell on my knees. It was only because my stomach was hurting from so much laughter, but he was freaking out so it made it worse for me. Once that went away, I grasped onto his shirt and rested my head against his chest with the biggest smile I ever had. His hand grazed against my back for a second before we both pulled away from one another.

"Hello?" I asked into the air as he gripped my wrist tightly, just in case the person we were sensing was trying to take me away.

"I have to admit it, that was the cutest laugh I've ever heard in my life...sweetheart." His voice echoed down the bridge thanks to the wind, so it was hard to tell where he was.

"N-Nezu! You're alright!" I happily exclaimed, the churning from my stomach long gone now that I knew he was safe and not harmed.

"Of course I'm alright sweetheart, but I can't say the same for you." He laughed in a weird voice, the sound of it traveling as if he was hopping around. "You might need this for later."

I was confused before he threw my sword down right in front of me, mere inches from hitting me in the face. The hilt felt comfortable in my hands, and almost instantly _K__yōfū _felt normal again. Kouhei's grip around my wrist lightened up, but he was still wary about the fact there was a soul reaper he didn't know around us. I tried to calm him down, but Nezu appeared out of thin air which prompted him to cover me with her body.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Nezu, your little girlfriend's body guard when she was still in the tower. You were supposed to stay there, sweetheart... not wander out and start to make out with your boyfriend."

"We were not making out, for your information. And so what, no one tried to tie me up and the air's a lot fresher out here."

"True true, you do have some points. But none of that matters, it's time for you to go."

"Go? Go where? Where's the procession?"

"Pardon me?"

"The other guards, surely with my power you wouldn't take me up the hill alone, would you?" I asked out of pure honesty, but if must have sounded sarcastic because Nezu laughed until I became furious.

"I'm not joking Nezu, where is everyone?"

"Can't you tell, no one's noticed that there was an explosion. No one had a clue that you're even out here!"

"What?!" Kouhei and I both exclaimed together as Nezu smirked in a completely different way, the light in his eyes much darker than before.

"It's all part of the plan, little lady."

"Plan? What plan?" Kouhei insisted as his hand grabbed me again, but Nezu shook his finger and tsked towards him like a disappointed parent or something.

"No no no, little boys are not part of the plan. Aizen's plans."

"A-Aizen? Who's Aizen?" I mumbled to myself as Kouhei was literally ripped from me and thrown back towards the tower within a moment.

"Kouhei!" I screamed out of confusion, but before I could take a step, Nezu easily slipped me and threw my body over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

"What are you doing, Nezu? Put me down! Kouhei!"

"Hikari!" He shouted back, but someone's reiatsu suddenly soared tremendously, knocking the air from my lungs and sent him down to the ground.

"He's here... let's go greet him, shall we?"

"K-Kouhei!"

"Hikari no!" His voice was shaking from the sudden reiatsu, but nevertheless he tried with all his might to grab onto me again.

But as his warmth reached my fingertips, Nezu leaned forward and jumped as high as he could into the air. The rush nearly knocked me unconscious but I pulled through, gripping my sheath as tight as possible. I would have used my _zanbaktou _to do something, but I was afraid and slightly curious to see where we were going. After a while, it became clear that no one was able to notice us in the air, we were being blocked by something... or someone.

* * *

><p>"What's the matter? The wind took your breath away, sweetheart? You're not struggling anymore."<p>

"Stop calling me that! Tell me where were going this instance!"

"Sheesh, you're such a demanding kid aren't you?"

I tried to bash against his body with my fists and sword, but nothing I did seemed to bother him. It only made him laugh and touch me in very inappropriate places which got me riled up. He was moving very slowly through the sky, as if he knew that if we were fast, someone would notice us. Then, at the last second as we passed the tenth squad he went into overdrive and dashed through the air. We landed in some grassy part of the Rukongai, if I had to I would say somewhere west.

Without a word, he simply dropped me onto the ground and walked as far away from me as possible. I sat on the floor for a second before something rustled in the trees nearby, the sounds of something coming closer and closer. My hands were shaking as they came up to hold the last bit of warmth inside of me, but even that couldn't help the fear that settled inside. The name from earlier sent me into a terrified state of mind, something that couldn't just go away.

"N-Nezu... can I ask you something?"

"What the heck? Where's the bravado from earlier? What's with the cutesy voice, Hikari?"

"I'm not trying to be cutesy, it's just that name you said earlier. Where have I heard it, you must know too, right?"

"I don't follow, stop with the innocent act. It's getting on my nerves."

"I'm not trying to sound innocent, really I'm not."

"Trust me on this, her innocence just comes out like the early morning sunshine." Someone's voice laughed as their arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back.

_Oh shit, are you serious! How the hell did he get here? What the hell is wrong with this world?! Hikari!_

"S-Shinose!" I said with slight relief but more with anger as he squeezed onto me tighter and tighter.

"Hey there Sugar-Pie, long time no see, huh? You're looking good, short hair really suits you better doesn't it?"

"W-What are you doing here! How did you get here in the first place?!"

"I'm curious, did it leave a scar? Come on, tell me... did it?" He whispered in a teasing voice right into my ear, his breath ticked the back of my neck as he spoke.

My hands clenched tightly as if I wanted to punch him square in the jaw, but his hold was too hard to move in. It slowly went away as I grabbed onto my front and tightly grasped the part across my chest. As a matter of fact, it left a humongous scar right at the halfway point between my chest and stomach. Every now and then it would hurt, but Tessai's treatment healed it the best he could.

"Now now Shinose, it's not the time for questions. You can badger her as much as you want later, we have business to take care of." A male's baritone voice came from behind both of us, which sent Shinose in a panic.

He quickly let me go and dug his arms under my armpits, forcing me down to the ground with his body weight. I struggled the best I could, but he was so heavy and the reiatsu in the air made it impossible to move the right way. When he felt my body relax, he eased up just enough for me to look back to him with anger. But it quickly washed away as I saw the deep, deep fear and regret in the back of his bright green eyes.

"It's so nice to see you after all these years, Hikari. Remember me?" His voice was closer as something grasped my chin and forced me to stare into dark brown eyes.

They seemed familiar, but they were so far in the back of my head that it took me a minute to remember. Then it hit me: his familiar glare, the dark pushed back brown hair and his reiatsu all came back. The day in the park, before everything became fuzzy and black, he was there right in front of me. Something happened at that moment... he did it... but what was it... what did he do?

"Aizen. I-I remember you, from the stories about almost killing my mother and father."

"Ah, that's what I like to hear. Tell me, is it my eyes? I must say, you're scowl is so much like Ichigo's after all these years. Must have had a lot of practice?"

_Hikari, don't fall for his teasing. We can't let this guy under our skin, we need to distract him long enough for them to find us.  
><strong>"<strong>I know, I'm trying to K__yōfū__... I'm trying.**"**_

"You have something of mine, and I want it back."

"Did you ask my mother for the _Hogyoku _the same way?"

He stopped glaring at me and slowly pulled back, a bit frazzled at my sudden accusation. Shinose squeezed me tighter, as if he was trying to tell me to shut up or something. But I just stared back at the older man, until he grinned and chuckled at me. His laughter sent chills down everyone's spin, that's how creepy and uncomfortable it was. After he finished, he merely brushed his hair back and stared down at me again.

"Aren't you a cute child?"

"I'm not cute, don't you dare call me that with your mouth."

"A very interesting child too, I respect that. But once the _Hogyoku _is out, that's going to have to change."

His eyes quickly glanced towards Shino, who instantly released me and pulled back away. As I got up, something flashed under my eyes and pinned my body in the air. It was frozen, and no movement whatsoever could get me away from it. As Aizen stepped forward I started to hear my own heart beating louder and louder with each step. Shinose saw this and out of instinct came to comfort me, but Nezu slipped in from and forced him to stop.

"I thought they stopped you... you should be in jail... not here..."

"Oh my child, don't you realize that things are better left unexplained."

He grasped my neck like it was a stick and raised me high so my feet were not touching the ground anymore. My hands feebly tried to push him away, but nothing that I did seemed to be working. Then out of the blue, something pushed itself through my body and came right out as quick as possible. The light from underneath disappeared as he let me go and turned his back to me. Shinose caught me right before I hit the ground, his hand gently smoothed my back to help me breath better.

"At last, I have it again..." He said to himself as the purple orb from my dream shone brightly in his hand at the last second, concealed in his grip.

"It's so much more powerful than I expected it to be, thanks to you, Hikari."

"Well, glad to be of service then... I guess."

"Now then..." He said out loud to everyone as he eyed up towards the sky before settling back to Shinose. "Shall we depart?"

I sort of sat there until I realized he was expecting me to come along with him. My body got up, but walked away from him in a discrete manner for the most part. It wasn't until he turned back to stare at me when I stopped and tried to remain calm.

"Oh, you were talking to me too? Why should I go with you?"

"Because I need you, I'm not capable of harnessing the full potential of the _hogyoku _anymore... but you are."

_"What?!"  
>What indeed, let me at him! I'm going to kick his ass so freaking hard you won't be able to save him!<em>

_"Easy K__yōfū__, we don't need to explode right now. I feel really weird now that the hogyoku is out of me... it's so empty."  
>You're right, but if he tries to do something shady I'm not holding back!<em>

"I'm not going with you." I tried to say in the best confident voice I had, but his glare was so threatening it slowly turned into a squeak.

"Did I give you a choice?"

Before I could deflect his hand, he grasped my neck again and lifted me off the ground in one swift move. From the corner of my eye, I saw Shinose try to come and help, but Nezu stepped in between again with his sword. It got tighter and tighter as I clawed against his hands, leaving a few scratches that hardly affected him. His glare was so dark and terrifying I was starting to fear for my life again.

"Did I give you a say in this? Who said that you were able to make your own decision? I gave you life... I... it's the least you can do for me, Hikari Kurosaki. I'm the only one who can help you now, since the _hogyoku _affected you as it did. Look at your power, your _zanbaktou, _everything about you is because of it. Look what your family did... the one that for so long you wanted to be apart of again... once you finally return home they lock you up and sent you to your death! I'm the only one that actually wants you, everyone else thinks you're a monster and wants you dead. And they're right... you're a monster. So we must stick together... right?"

"She's not a monster."

Something blue came in between us, slicing his hand as he let me go. With the sudden rush of air, it took me a moment to see his other hand release the _hogyoku _out of reflex. Without thinking about it, I reached out and felt the small orb fall right into my grasp. For a moment, it felt warm and relaxing like I just got back the one thing I needed. But then Aizen tried to grab it from me again and yanked it hard so it was in the air. My hand touched it first again, and then it was gone, it evaporated and sent me down.

"Ouch." I gasped heavily as this burning sensation formed in the pit of my stomach, the hand that grabbed it was tingling like it was numb and in pain at the same time.

"No! That wasn't supposed to happen, what did you do?" Aizen demanded me to answer as I stared up at him with huge eyes before I gathered my breath again.

"I-I don't know, what the hell was that!"

"Give it to me now!"

"Get your hands off my sister!" Takashi's voice shouted from above as he came right between us with his sword against Aizen's chest.

He backed off and jumped beside Shinose, who was glaring right at Takashi with an evil look. I looked down for a moment and nearly screamed at the strange mark that grew around the back of my hand from the _hogyoku_ but didn't go past my pain from earlier vanished, but the numb feeling was still there as I stood behind Takashi.

"Give it to me, child."

"Not a chance." Takashi answered for me in a curt voice as soft, gentle hands grasped my shoulders and started to pull me away from them.

"M-Mother..." I said softly as I turned to stare into her kind, gentle eyes after all these years without her, which were slowing gathering tears of her own.

"Listen to your elders, girl."

"Don't you dare talk to my daughter." Rukia said in a cold voice for me as well, which made me smile a little despite the tense atmosphere in the air.

"Damn Light, you sure do know how to pull in a crowd don't ya?" Shinose said out loud under his breath, completely unaware of C.J right beside him.

"Piss off, Shinose." Ciel growled angrily as his hand glowed a bright red, until the _cero _shot off right against Shino's hip with a sudden burst.

It's unclear how Shinose got away before the _cero _shot off, but man was he pissed one the dust cleared up. He used his _resurrecion _at the last minute, but even that couldn't stop it from the deep gash it left behind. The wings he had on his back were razor sharp, to me they looked fake and unusable. His bright green eyes were staring right at Ciel, quickly flashing back to me before he set them on his "brother".

"What are you waiting for, Ciel? Aren't you going to save your little girlfriend?" He taunted him easily with a monotone voice behind his infamous smile, his claw ran itself down his own cheek.

Ciel took a step forward, but stopped and swiftly glanced over to me as if he was asking permission. I would have instantly said yes, but then my mother stopped me from saying much. She glanced down and nodded, but took it back as she turned her head towards Ichigo, who nodded back. Once I could see her eyes again, I couldn't help but smile and nod to him.

"Go for it, Tiger." I couldn't help but say towards him, but that only made his smile even more psychotic and sadistic.

"With pleasure."

He relaxed his entire body, the energy inside of him was rustling the wind around us. His sword was raised in front of his body, the grip around it tight as if he was about to throw it. Then with a sudden jab he had it down towards the ground as he said

"_Growl."_

A minute later as the dust cleared again... there he was... just like the first time in middle school and in my dreams. His clothes were a lot tighter than anticipated, but that was what made him move easier. The sword was gone, replaced by jagged blades on his forearm and claws. He had stripes running down his body, the tail he had swished side-to-side in excitement. You could see his power in his eyes, clouding him and somewhat making him drunk, but he was forcing it back for me.

_Incredible, I've never seen anything like him before. A tiger, I presume?  
>"You're correct, he's my litte tigre..."<em>

Both him and Shinose were probably murdering each other in their minds before jumping at each other. Rukia grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the excitement but was blocked by Aizen. He tried to grab both of us this time, but his spiritual pressure was too much so we jumped apart from each other.

Byakuya appeared out of thin air and grabbed mother while I landed on the ground and skidded against my arm. He kept coming closer and closer, so i instinctively scooted back until something hit against me. Without warning I grabbed to throw it away, but the familiar cloth around the hilt stopped me. Right when Aizen was towering over me I pulled my sword and pressed it hard against his chest.

"What's this? You think you can stop me?" He laughed in the worst possible way as I slowly got up from the ground with the sword still against him.

"Hell yeah, and there's nothing you can say to make me disbelieve."

"I'm impressed that you have such confidence in you, but do you honestly believe in yourself? What about the _hogyoku?"_

"I don't care about it, I'll let it stay in me as long as you don't get it."

"But don't you remember what happened last time you did that? What it did to you?"

His words got to me, I didn't really remember because there was so much pain and no one would tell me. Did it do something to me? Was the _hogyoku _the reason I was sent to live with my aunts? Whatever the cause may have been, as long as Aizen didn't get it, I would gladly give my life up a second time.

"No, I don't remember what happened... but as long as it stays away from you, then I'll live with the consequences." I laughed a little at his angry face, but for a second because it quickly changed to a deadly glare.

He lunged towards me with his hand out, but both Byakuya and Ichigo stepped in and swung at him. I jumped back into a open space where I could think to myself for a moment, to really believe that this was happening to me again. The air swirled around me, but this time I knew that I caused it to happen. My hand griped the sword tightly as I raised it up in the air, the wind pushed against me even harder than before.

_You ready for this? Once you say my name, it's all over.  
>"I'll live, I'm not a weak child anymore. Can you handle her, K<em>_yōfū__?"_

_Maybe not alone, but with you, anything is possible. Ready?  
>"Ready as I'll ever be."<em>

_Then let's show them how much you've changed, Hikari._

_"Swirl through the heavens, __Hagesh__ī __K__yōfū__!"_ My voice was loud as I felt my reiatsu surge through my hands and into my sword.

The world itself seemed to glow in a white light as my sword changed formed from its normal katana to a smaller blade with three jagged ends to it. The blue ribbon around the hilt wrapped itself around my wrist and covered the mark from the_ hogyoku _completely. Everyone saw the wind blow even harder as I swished the sword to the side, which made me smile for a second. Then my head suddenly thumped loudly, the scar from Shinose's attack throbbed even worse than when he gave it to me. I instantly fell to my knees, thrusting the sword into the ground so it was easier to stand later.

"What's so funny, old man?" I asked curtly as Aizen began to laugh out loud to everyone's surprise, his glare a little softer than before.

"Nothing, it just looks like you're in a little pain. The _hogyoku _giving you a hard time?"

"Mind your own business, s'not nothing I can't handle."

"It's funny how you're still normal, the last time you allowed it to enter your soul you-"

"_Getsuga Tenshou!" _Ichigo screamed without warning and interrupted Aizen before he could finish, barely missing him by an inch.

Both Aizen and I were hit, but he took the most damage and retreated back to Nezu. I couldn't help but pity the older man as he cowered in fear because of Aizen's presence. He was glaring deeply at him, and then turned back to me without a word. We stared at one another until Ichigo stepped in front of me with one hand out to hold me back. That made him even more upset by the worsening look in his eyes.

"I've had enough of these games, all I want is the _hogyoku. _And I'm not leaving," He said in a low voice as he disappeared just as my body was lifted and thrown against the floor without warning.

"Without it." He finished as he stood above me and thrusted his sword straight down right where Shinose stuck his hand in me.

I couldn't hold back my blood-curdling scream if my life had depended on it, which it kinda did. Even Shinose and Ciel had to stop and see what just occurred during their fist-fight, somewhat appalled at the sight of me. The pain was excruciating, what made it even worse was when he pulled it out and stuck it through my hand. This time I bit down on my lip so the scream wasn't as loud, but it couldn't numb the pain. I heard many voices shout my name, but none of them stuck quite like Shinose's.

"I won't ask you again, give me the _hogyoku. _Or die."

"...Over... my... dead... body!" I replied in the loudest voice I could shout as I swung my sword and grazed his face.

He pulled back the sword so I could roll against the floor away from him, far enough to get up on my own before he attacked me again. My sword clanged loudly against his, but since he was partially blind now, I kicked his shin and swung the sword from above to blow him away. He hit the trees hard, cracking and pushing each one he hit down to the ground like nothing. The wound on my hand was starting to numb itself when he stood up and nearly cut my throat.

"Duck down Hikari!" Someone shouted at me, which I happily obliged before this blue arrow hit right against Aizen's blade.

It hit him straight in the stomach, but somehow didn't kill him like I expected it to. Aizen's cold stare was now at Kouhei, who was slightly beaten up with a big bruise on his cheek. His aura was the strongest I had ever seen around him, the deadly look on his face was no joke. The arrow he was holding was the biggest I had seen him ever create, most likely because of all the reishi in the air.

"Stay away from you, you goddamn bastard." Kouhei growled protectively towards Aizen as he clenched his hands tighter against his bow.

"There's too many people here now, not what I had in mind." The older man mumbled to himself as he snapped his fingers into the air, the black abyss opened right behind him.

Shinose stopped fighting all together and jumped right beside his master, with Nezu in the back. Without so much as a glance, he waved his hand in the air, a sign for Nezu to take the first step through. I saw Takashi sigh in pain as he watched him go through, the painful memories of his closest friend just washed through his eyes. Shinose glanced over to me and gave me a small smile, as if the fact he was bleeding hardly mattered to him at all.

"This won't be the last time I will see you, Hikari Kurosaki. Even if I have to ruin your life again, I will get my hands on the _hogyoku. _One way or another."

"Well I hope you like disappointment, because I will never let that happen."

Aizen glared at me for a few more seconds before he turned his back and walked through the _garganta. _Shinose stayed behind for a few more minutes despite the intense atmosphere in the air from the adults and friends. He looked bloodied and tired, but even so he was smiling his friendly grin that I secretly loved as a child. His bright green eyes were noticeable behind his blood-stained mask, staring straight at me in the silence.

"I like your spunk Hika, that's what made him leave so soon."

"You think? Thanks Shinose, I guess."

"You're not bad out there, although since you've never really held a sword I can't critique you fighting. Needs a little work, but knowing you, you'll get the hang of it." He laughed so calmly that you would have thought we were kids again.

"Even though I kinda suck, will you still fight me in the future?"

"Of course I will, just not when we're bloody and tired. Okay Light?"

"Okay, I can wait. My stomach is killing me anyway."

At this he sort of squirmed in his spot as Kouhei came around and tried to help me up. I hadn't realized it, but Miyu was also there, somewhat bloody as well when she came to Ciel's aid. All the grown ups were slowly making their way towards me, which was a sign to leave. He turned to walk through the _garganta, _but stopped midway. Although his back was to me, I could tell something was making him laugh, you could see his shoulders moving up and down.

"Hey, Quincy-Boy." He said in a loud enough voice for Kouhei to hear, who was currently trying to get me on my feet again.

"What do you want, Shinose?"

"Just wondering, you've kissed Hikari haven't you?"

"Well... what does that matter to you?"

"She's my little princess, so I was kinda wondering. And I thought you should know something, about when we were little."

"What are you getting at?"

_"Oh no... oh no no no! Shinose you promised you would never tell anyone about that day! Oh shit, this isn't good. Please no, not in front of my family. Goddamn it Shinose!"_

"Shino, don't say it-" I pleaded with him, but he merely laughed and turned his head so his bright green eyes were staring at me.

"I was Hikari's first kiss."

"Dammit Shinose!" I shouted angrily out of reflex as my body jumped right from Kouhei's arms to try and grab onto him.

But he only laughed even harder and allowed the _garganta _to close right as my fingertips brushed against his skin. There was a moment of silence before the pain from earlier suddenly got worse and bled out even more. I crumbled to my knees and groaned in pain, forcing back the urge to scream into the air like in the movies. Darkness seemed to envelop me as I fell to the ground, their voices all intermingling except for one particular person.

"K-Kouhei... I'm sorry..."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Hooray I finished the exciting chapter! This won't be the last, but thank goodness it's all over now. What will happen to Hikari once she wakes up? don't worry, there will not be so much bloodshed like this in the next couple of chapters... I think. <em>**

**_Thanks for reading, and sorry, school just came out of nowhere so I couldn't really finish it in time. Thanks for reading!  
>I hope you liked it!<em>**


	22. Innocent Light

**Shinose's POV**

The main hall of my home was completely empty as we walked through, our blood from the fight dripped down as we took our time. It wasn't until we hit the hallway when everyone saw that we, or at least Aizen, was home at last. They all scurried away back to their rooms before he could do anything to them, since his aura was dreadfully frightening. Those who dared to stay around cowered in fear as we walked by, their eyes darted quickly to the ground as he passed them. I laughed a little to myself, it was entertaining to see the _números _try to find their masters and make them get out of their rooms.

Mine were lazily following from behind, but as we got closer to his room, I brushed them away back to mine. The leader of the little pack, Abel, saw that there was no time for their antics, so he pushed the other two away as quick as possible. Most likely they wouldn't return until I rested, but something deep inside of me said other wise. Aizen was very quiet for the most part, probably upset that his attempt had failed after years of planning. Hikari taking back the _hogyoku _was not part of the plan, so it was obvious why he was so tight-lipped for the moment.

"Well, that was a complete success... wouldn't you say, Shinose?" Aizen asked me out of the blue as we made our way down the corridor, his voice a bit softer than normal .

I stopped moving behind him for a second to take in his words, it was hard to tell if he was joking or not. When he didn't say anything, I sort of gruffed my answer and tried to wipe the blood from my chin. I heard him laugh to himself again, but this time he turned to look at me, so I had to think of something quick to say.

"A success sir? Was that part of your plan all along?"

"Well, maybe not the gash across my face. But everything else is what I expected after these years of waiting."

"Do you honestly believe that you will get the _hogyoku_ from her? She's a stubborn girl, just like her father."

"Oh I know that," Aizen laughed haughtily to himself as we made it to his room, where he stopped right in front of his door without warning and turned back towards me.

"But you will just have to wait and see. Patience is a virtue, you know?"

"Of course Aizen-Sama, is there anything you'd like me to do?"

"Not tonight, I must rest. You're done for the day, Shinose."

This time, I didn't reply but instead nodded my head, gave him a quick bow and retreated to my room. The hallway in my little home was bustling with more life than usual, many _números _ran around like mad now that Aizen had returned. Bena Coyote, although she was the number one of our group, was still asleep in her room as I passed by. Her only _fraccion _was trying his best to wake her up, but even so, he couldn't seem to shake her.

As I got closer to my room, my footsteps started to become little pitter-patters against the floor. But even as I took those steps, a shiver still passed through my neck as I arrived next to his room. Although his door looked closed, there was always a small sliver so he could see who was walking by. His piercing purple eyes watched in fascination as he flipped back his dull white hair from his face. Every freaking time I tried to walk by here, he would always find a way to creep me out.

Finally, as I came to my door, something green caught my eyes as she raced down the hall without so much as a glance. Her tattoo on her shoulder made it clear who she was, little Mia Jaegerjaque, Ciel's younger twin sister (generally speaking). Ever since she fought her way out of the tower, she had never once come out of her room when Aizen just returned. So it was strange to see her out and about, most likely because her _fraccion _were bothering her too.

"I'm ready for bed..." I grumbled to myself in a low voice as the door finally opened and I was greeted by small, twinkling lights.

They were tiny tea lights I "borrowed" from the Human World many years ago when I still made trips. They were merely for decoration, but for some reason they always comforted me after encounters with Ciel and Hikari. Speaking of Ciel, he left some pretty nice bruises on my face, which were sort of hard to ignore.

As I laid back onto my bed, I couldn't help but wince in pain as it made contact with the pillow. Our fight had turned from swords to fists in a matter of seconds, and since we had such deadly claws, both our faces were badly torn. Since the last fight we had, it felt like he had gotten so much better at anticipating my every move, so it was a little harder to fight back. The look in his eyes showed just how much he had changed, how much I missed over the years.

Seeing Hikari all wounded and bloody as she was really made me feel like a monster. Well, I already was a monster, but an even worse kind in existence. Her brown eyes were full of fear that I wanted to brush away with a touch of my hands, I wanted to hold her until she was better. I hated being the person I had become, but in the end, it was all for her. I know that sounds messed up, but it was true, ( _at least to myself _), and that was all that mattered.

"If only you knew... if only..."

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Eight Years Ago<strong>_

_I was twelve years old when I stopped going to the Human World, the last time I ever went was the day everything changed. It was fall, and the first month for Ciel and Hikari to be back at school. Despite how angry Grimmjow was when I visited his son, I came almost everyday to see him and her. She was quite cute and different from most children her age, especially Ciel when they met those years ago. But now that she was a little older ( eight years old ) something about her changed even more._

_It was fun to sneak out under Aizen's nose and visit Ciel here, this place was so much more calmer and relaxing than Las Noches. The only annoying thing were the adults and their obnoxious children they brought to the elementary. I hated them and their fake smiles they wore when they picked up their kids. If they hated them so much, why didn't they just tell them up front? I guess that wasn't how people were back in the day, plus they were only eight, so that would have been a little harsh._

_The leaves were falling slowly to the ground as the last bell rang, many of the kids already gone for the day. It was odd to be out there alone, usually Ciel would have shown up by then with Hikari behind him. Some older kids were walking out of the building, grumbling to themselves about a fight and the fact someone started to cry. I half-payed attention to them, whatever it was, it wasn't a part of my life._

_"Shino-Tan, C.J will be out in a second. He's washing his face right now." I heard her voice clear as a bell, her hand tugged against the jacket I 'borrowed' for the day._

_A happy smile broke out on my face, just hearing her voice made me feel light in my head. Plus her somewhat weak reiatsu was a dead giveaway, that girl could be noticed from down the street if she tried. I leaned down to pat her head, but her appearance made me stop midway and gasp. Her lip was bruised and there was a huge welt on her forehead from someone ( or something ) hitting her hard. It was clear she had been crying earlier, her usually big warm eyes were red and worn-out._

_"Hika! What happened little Light?" I asked her in a soft voice as I went down on one knee to see her face closer, a small gasp forced back to show I wasn't angry._

_She flinched as I touched her cheeks, but for some reason she didn't smack me like usual if I called her Light. I traced the welt as gently as possible before she grabbed my hand and pulled it down. It wasn't strange to see her and Ciel after a fight, but this time it was a lot more worse than normal. The look I was giving her prompted the water works to begin, so this fight wasn't your average kind._

_"They started it, Shinose! They always start it! If they hadn't picked on Ciel then I wouldn't have gotten involved. But they took it too far this time!" She angrily told me, her tears ran down her face at unimaginable speed without warning._

_"What do you mean, Hika? What did those guys do?"_

_"Well for one, they picked on Ciel's hair, and when I tried to help him..."_

_"Yes... what did they do?"_

_"They... they... they told me I was... abandoned."_

_A cold wave of shock passed through my slowly and painfully, since when did kids say things like that! They were beasts from hell! Even I wouldn't say something to an innocent child like her, that was something you should never do. It took me a minute to calm myself down before I looked back to her, forcing down the acid in my voice so I seemed normal._

_"You were NOT abandoned, Light-bulb. There's a good reason they-"_

_"There's no good reason whatsoever, Shinose! And you know that!" She snapped so viciously at me, I couldn't help but take a few steps back away from her._

_"Why would Auntie Karin and Yuzu not tell me anything if everything was okay? It's been two years, Shinose... they're not here anymore!"_

_She looked positively angry and frustrated the fact that her long brown hair had little fly-aways that looked like horns didn't help much either. Without another word, she stormed right past me and headed towards the main street. Normally, I would have let her cooled off for a while, but the light was broken and no one was there to watch her. Before she even touched the sidewalk, I was right behind her to make her stop._

_"Hikari!" I scolded her in a semi-angry voice as she refused to make eye contact with me, her arms across her chest and lips pouty from earlier._

_People around us were a bit confused, and since they were staring it made it harder for her to budge at all. Once more came, I got a bit testy and decided to take actions into my own hand... so I picked her up and held her under my arm. She squealed in anger and kicked at all angles to get away, but I wouldn't let her._

_"Put me down! Let me go! Shinose!"_

_"Behave like a lady, and I'll put you down."_

_"Put me down first! Shino! This is embarrassing!"_

_"That's because you're making it that way."_

_"Shino!"_

_I didn't answer her after that until I got her somewhere where we could clean her up. She was still fuming as I set her down on a nearby park bench next to the school. Ciel wasn't out yet, so it gave me enough time to gussy her up and make her presentable. Her cheeks were bright red as I wiped as much dirt off as possible with my thumbs, sometimes I had to use a little spit to make it come off. Once she looked decent, her big eyes darted away from me before I even said anything._

_"Hikari, that wasn't very nice."_

_"You're not very nice." _

_"Hikari Kurosaki, I'm just trying to be a good friend. There's no reason to be so rude to me." I scolded her again, but that only made her flinch and cry some more, a depressed look in her eyes._

_I sighed to myself, all the energy I had been saving up to see them seemed drained and useless now. As I sat beside her, she grasped my hand again and squeezed it so hard, I thought she was trying to pull it off. There were no more tears after that, only silence and bitter words she mumbled to herself. I draped one arm around her shoulders and brought her in, allowing her to dig her head into my jacket._

_"I was not abandoned... right Shinose?"_

_"Of course you weren't, there's no reason in the world for them to do that. There's a reasonable explanation for it."_

_"Really? Then why don't my aunts tell me? Why do I have to suffer?"_

_"Suffer?"_

_"It's been two years, and still nothing from them. I miss my brother, my mother, my father too... I miss my friends. I miss home."_

_"I know you do, but there's no reason to be acting this way. You have to grow tough-skin or else everyone will pick on you for the rest of your life."_

_'I don't want to be picked on... what am I going to do?"_

_"Be tough, I know you can if you try hard enough! If you're a Kurosaki, then that means you're a tough girl."_

_"Really?"_

_"Really-really."_

_The look in her eyes lit up like the night sky, the tears that stayed behind just vanished without a trace. She brushed her cheeks and eyes until there was nothing else she could do to make herself look better. I could see she was smiling to herself, and before I could look away, she looked straight at me and smiled so brightly that it made my heart skip a beat. Ciel had confined in me a little while ago that her smiles had been less bright and more forceful, but this one seemed genuinely bright... for a few seconds._

_"You're right! I am tough! And I will always be tough!" _

_She jumped right off the bench and proceeded to dance by herself in a happy jig. I laughed and laughed until she made herself tired and sat beside me again. Her head rested against my shoulder, everything about her seemed like she was ready to take a nap. Yet, it was still obvious she was thinking about her parents. Every little action she took was too cute to ignore, until she settled down and fell to the floor._

_"Are you alright?"_

_"Yeah... just tired I guess." She breathed heavily in and out as I tried to get my heart to stop racing over nothing, but it didn't seem to help me at all._

_"How was school, you know, before the fight?"I babbled to make small talk to help my heart settle down, but she seemed totally oblivious and actually replied to me._

_"It was good, the same old thing everyday. C.J actually got the class to behave when the teacher went outside real quick, it was pretty cool."_

_"That's very nice, what else happened?"_

_"Um... This kid tripped on his own shoelaces today, and he cried for like ten minutes."_

_"You're kidding? What a baby..."_

_"That's what I said! But the teacher got mad at me and said that wasn't nice, so I said sorry and he stopped!"_

_I laughed into my sleeve for a second before she giggled to herself as well. The wind picked up again as we sat silently under the tree, still waiting for Grimmjow or Ciel to arrive. By then, I thought the boy would show up, but he must have had a lot of blood on him or something. Even Hikari seemed a bit antsy, tugging at her shirt while glancing up every now and then towards the school._

_"Everything alright?"_

_"Y-Yeah!"_

_"Hikari..."_

_"I'm just... scared that the school called my aunts and told them what happened. If they find out, I'll get in super big trouble!"_

_"Don't worry, if you do get in trouble, I'll help you out in any way possible."_

_"R-Really Shino?"_

_"Of course! That's what friends are for right?"_

_"Y-yeah..." _

_I glanced down to her, but she seemed to be in her own little world full of worry and stress. Despite the look in her eyes, she looked even cuter than before and they were not as pink as before. You wouldn't notice that she was in a fight except for her dirt-stained clothes and tattered sleeves from earlier. The sun light came through the trees and hit the back of her perfectly, illuminating her body like she was an angel. Again, my heart thumped loudly against my chest without warning and stung so bad. All my emotions just took me over as I scooted closer to her and brushed a finger against her chin._

_"Hey Light... close your eyes for a second."_

_"Why? What are you going to do to me?" She asked defensively with her arms raised against her chest in a protective manner._

_"Nothing... nothing. Just trust me on this alright? Close your eyes... please."_

_I watched her think to herself before she complied and closed her eyes, but flinched every time I tried to cup he cheek. Giving up, I just brushed some of her hair from her face and kissed her lips as lightly as I could. Somewhere in the moment, she realized what was going on, but refused to move a muscle. I opened one eye and saw that her entire face was now a dark shade of red, but she still refused to look back at me. _

_"Dammit, you're just too cute..." I groaned as I cupped her face and kissed her again, this time with a little more force that made her squirm in my arms._

_I know what a lot of you might be thinking: a twelve year-old boy just kissed an eight year-old girl. A little wrong right? Well, at the time it felt right, she just looked like she needed someone to basically tell her they lover her. And well... that was the only way I could tell her without saying those exact words._

_As I pulled away, she opened one eye and stared at me for a second before her hands came up and hid her face. Even behind her hands, it was clear she was blushing bright red from the kiss. I laughed a little until she pulled her hands away and glared at me. Her lips seemed a bit bruised from biting against them hard, something I had not noticed until now. She glanced past me over the the school and then quickly over her shoulder._

_"No one saw that... did they?"_

_"No... no one did. Did I upset you?"_

_"N-No! It's just..." She whispered under her breath as she lightly brushed her finger over her lips. "That was my first kiss."_

_Her words were just so innocently sweet that I forgot to hold back my laughter. She flinched noticably as I fell onto her shoulder to keep myself steady. I thought she would punch me in my arm, but something caught her attention from a distance._

_"Shinose! Hikari!" Ciel's voice echoed as he ran down the pathway over to us, but something caught him midway and hoisted him over their shoulder._

_Grimmjow was angrily shaking him up and down as we got off the bench, a sigh of relief passed her lips. She started to head over there, but since I knew Grimm would be upset at me I pulled her back. Before she could ask anything, I held up my hand with my pinky towards her. It took her a minute to realize what I was doing, but soon she caught on and hooked her little finger with mine._

_"Promise you won't tell anyone about the you-know-what?" I asked her softly as I watched Grimmjow set Ciel back to the ground and start to lecture him over his blood-stained clothes._

_"Yeah! I promise Shino-Tan!"_

_"Pinky-promise?"_

_"Pinky-promise!"_

_She smiled in glee as she turned around to see how much trouble Ciel was in for the fight. I sort of stayed behind and watched as Grimm took a double-take at how dirty she was. Ciel tried to explain to him, but he would not listen to a word he was saying. It was nice to see such a some-what cheerful moment among those I loved. Without telling them goodbye, I snuck back to a desolated area and retreated back to Las Noches..._

_My... home sweet... home._

* * *

><p>I woke up abruptly from my dream to a tingly sensation around the apple of my cheeks. Actually... just my entire face. Plus someone on the floor who had rolled off after I woke up. It was Mia, and she had a shocked expression on her face while her hands gripped against a white jar of some strange substance. Just as she was about to say something, my skin stopped bubbling and as I brushed my fingers against it, I noticed it was smooth as butter.<p>

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up like that. I just thought... you were in a lot of pain. So I...wanted to help you."

"What did you use on me?" I asked her in the most softest voice possible, but she still flinched and shook the jar in her hands as if she was about to drop it.

"Just something...from Kugerou's lab- Don't worry! It's not lethal!"

I probably would have screamed if not for my reflection against the mirror, it showed that my bruised face was now un-bruised. Even the bags I had from not sleeping properly these past weeks were gone thanks to the stuff. As I glanced towards her, she quickly averted her soft pale blue eyes and blushed a deep red color. Even though she was shivering, she didn't move from her spot, so I assumed she wanted to talk about something. I got up and started to take off my shirt when she coughed a little to show she was still there.

"What do you want, Mia? Can't you see I'm a little... under the weather right now?"

"I-I know you're a bit... bothered-"

"But?"

"B-But I wanted to ask you something."

I stopped picking up the shirt I wanted and turned my full attention towards her, an innocent gesture at first glance. However, being the girl she was, Mia's face turned bright red and looked directly past the wall behind me. I would have chuckled but since I was a gentleman ( for the most part ) my first instinct was to turn around so I couldn't stare at her.

"What is it you want to ask?"

"W-well, I was just wondering... what was it like in the Soul Society?"

"Kinda like here, but a bit more free if you know what I mean."

"Do you think they'll kill her?"

"I doubt it, not after what hell she went through." I sighed under my breath, glancing over my shoulder to see if she was done, but judging by the look in her eyes I guessed she was only half-done.

"The people... are they like us?"

"You mean mental? They're just old, there's no one new as far as I could tell."

"And her friends? Were they all well too?"

"For the most part, they didn't seem to banged up."

"What about..."

"About?"

"C-Ciel? How was he?"

Something inside of me snapped, just her voice mentioning Ciel to me at the time seemed to shred my last bit of sanity. With a snap of my fingers she was in my grasp, surprised and bewildered at such speed. For some reason her innocent view of her brother angered me, the look of love for someone she hadn't seen in over thirteen years just... ruined me. Her eyes were full of fright as I pulled her closer into my arms, but I couldn't shake it away.

"Ciel? Why, didn't you see for yourself?"

"Shinose, let me-"

"Did you see how bad my face turned out to be? All the bruises and heavy bags that were under my eyes... all because of him. Do you really think he thinks about you even after all these years?" I asked her in the coldest voice possible as she tried to pull herself from my grasp to no such luck.

"You have no idea... how lucky you are."

"S-Shinose! Let me go!"

"Oh naive little Mia... so sweet and innocent it makes my stomach churn."

Her eyes were full of hidden tears as I pulled her even closer into my grasp, but that freaked her out even more. Angry, I threw her onto my bed and held her down, but she started to kick me where ever she could. Finally, I brought my head closer to hers so every time she tried to move I would head-butt her. She finally calmed down, but all her muscles were tense as I smiled down to her.

"You think he's the same boy from all those years ago? An ignorant little boy who needs his sister by his side?"

"P-Please... no more... I'm sorry!"

"He's so much stronger than you'll ever be, I bet he's forgotten about you. You see... there's a new girl in his life-"

"Stop it!"

"But you must know, she's more apart of his life than you'll ever be-"

"STOP!"

Her voice was loud and full of anger, the horror-struck face from before now replaced with a serious scowl. I felt her nails dig themselves against my chest as she tried to get on her feet again. Not wanting to make her kill me, I rolled to the side so she could get up off the bed. Within the time I sat on the edge of the bed, she made her way to the door and opened it with all her might.

"You're such an asshole Shinose! I wish you would go jump off a cliff or something!" She stammered out bitterly as the door slammed with such force it shook the entire room.

For a minute, I just sat there contemplating on what I should do, but nothing seemed to stick so I flopped back on the bed. The lights were glittering brightly as the moon came up through the window, a full one as usual. I thought the room was closing in on me as I curled up in the middle of the mattress, my arms around my knees in the most pathetic way. For some reason tears were streaming down my face, but I couldn't make them stop.

"Hikari... take me away from here... make me a better person...Save me from becoming a monster... please..."

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, sorry about taking so long in finishing this chapter... school came around and well... I had a writer's block.<br>But, I hoped you liked it and thanks for reading it!**


	23. Home Sweet Home

**Hikari's POV**

I found myself thinking about that day when Shinose gave me my first kiss... I should have been trying to wake up but it was nagging me a lot. He was so different back then, and it made me kind of sad now he was a psychopathic maniac out for blood. But he was still the same Shinose I remembered and cared for... so it made it harder to be mad at him. Except for the fact he broke his promise, that made me super angry and disappointed in him.

"You fucking liar..."

"Hikari? Are you awake?" I heard my dad's voice ask me as gentle hands shook my shoulder with care, brushing back some hair every now and then.

"D-Dad? I'm not dead... am I?"

"No, you're resting in Byakuya's room." He laughed with slight glee as I finally opened my eyes to the familiar surroundings of ancient books and ink in the air.

It took me a minute to adjust to the dim lighting, the cool breeze through the air was what woke me up all the way. Ichigo's bright hair illuminated the room even more as I looked into his tired brown eyes. Before I could even ask, he wrapped his arms around me and filled my insides with the warmth I craved. I melted against him, everything seemed to slow down just so it was possible to to enjoy even for a slight minute. His hands cradled my head against his chest as I sunk deeper and deeper into the familiarity.

"H-How long have I been out?"

"Since this morning, it's barely eleven o'clock at night. See? The moon's shining for you right now." He laughed childishly as his finger pointed to the full moon outside the window.

I sort of chuckled, but I felt more annoyed that he was treating me like a baby instead of a somewhat older kid. My hand shifted underneath so I could relax better, but something pulled and instant pain grew in my chest. Ichigo saw this and automatically reached under me to try and held me lie back down. But I refused, my hands pushed against him hard so he stumbled back a little in confusion. Finally, after blocking most of the pain, I pushed myself so my back was against the headboard.

After a few heavy breaths, my hands grabbed my shirt apart to reveal the deep red stained bandages where Aizen stuck his sword through. I barely caught a glimpse before hands pulled the cloths back together and they were trying to pull the blanket up against me. I wanted to fight back, but the deep scowl on his face told me not to. Caving in, I reluctantly took the blanket but left it on my lap and proceeded to stare back at my old man.

"You shouldn't move so roughly, you're too injured to move freely."

"I know... sorry."

"It's alright, how are you feeling by the way?"

"That depends... how are my friends doing?"

"They're fine," He tried to reassure me, but it was going to take more than that to be satisfied. "They're resting with your mother and brother. Everyone's okay."

"Am I okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ichi- I mean dad, are they going to kill me still? Was this all for naught?"

He was quiet for a long time, the agonizing pain of not knowing was the worst I had ever felt. I watched him pace around the room about fifty times before I slapped my blanket and pretended to get up. Dad nearly had a heart-attack as he tried to push in the gentlest way possible, but I laughed and broke his concentration. Finally he sat beside me with the most relieved smile on his face, so I kinda took it as a good thing.

"Hikari... you're going to be okay."

"I-I am? Are you serious?" My voice was soft but deep inside I was screaming for joy and wanted so badly to jump around and dance but knew he would flip if i even dared to try.

"I'm positive, they're letting you go."

"T-that's great... right?"

"It's more than great," He exclaimed as he stifled back his child-like happiness with his serious face. "It means, if you want to of course, you can come back home to us."

"That's... wonderful."

"Is everything okay?"

"O-Of course!"

"Hikari Kurosaki, what's the matter?"

I dared not speak after he used my whole name, thankfully they didn't give me a middle name (_however I had always wanted one but that's beside the point_). The room was a bit tense for a little while, I could feel his eyes boring into me as I looked away. To be honest, I was ecstatic that I was going to live in the end, but it still bothered me that it took ten years and almost dying to get back home. It was quite obvious no one was going to say anything, especially while I was going through the healing process. So, I tried to grin and bear it, but Ichigo saw straight through me and broke everything in a snap.

"It's just that... I'm still bothered by something."

"What is it?"

"The reason... for it all. Why I left? Why is the _hogyoku _inside of me and no one told me about it... what happened back then?"

"I can't tell you... at least not yet."

"Why not?!"

"Because I promised your mother I would wait until you were older!"

_Damn, that sucks._  
><em>"K-<em>_K__yōfū__! Y-You're alright! Oh thank God! I was afraid Aizen-"_

_Don't even say his name! That goddamn monster nearly killed us! At least you're safe, that's all that matters to me. How you doing, kid?_  
><em>"Well, I'm alive... so I guess I'm alright? Did you hear everything right now?"<em>

_Barely, I've been kinda in and out for a while, seen a lot of people I don't think you know._  
><em>"That's a little strange, but okay. What about Hollow-Me? Is she stable? Nothing broken yet, right?"<em>

_As far as I know; since the Hogyoku was take out and then put back in, it's been a little too quiet here. Who knows what might happen, but we should be extra careful._  
><em>"Why-"<em>

"Hikari!" My father's voice was staggered and short as he grasped my shoulders and shook me violently for a few seconds.

"I-Ichigo! What's wrong with you! That hurt..." I whimpered out softly as he stopped and shook his hair for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be alright?"

"It's just that... your eyes... they flashed bright blue all of a sudden."

_Shit, he saw that?_  
><em>"Stop! No more conversing with you! Later okay?"<em>

"Hikari?"

"S-Sorry dad..." I tried to laugh halfheartedly, but he knitted his eyebrows together so I couldn't easily wash them away with my innocent charm.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Of course I do."

"Then tell me what happened ten years ago-"

"It can wait."

"Dad! You would wait until later to see what the heck is wrong with me?!"

"Sorry... but I still can't tell you."

I knew that no matter how much I twisted the situation, he wouldn't budge in telling me. So I groaned softly to myself and motioned he should come closer to me, in case anyone outside was listening. He obliged, as he sat down I rested my head against his chest and snuggled closer in. It took a while, but I managed to tell him most of what I knew about _K__yōfū _then the hollow-me. After I spoke of what occurred inside Urahara's shop he pinched the bridge of his nose and seemed disappointed.

"A-Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad at you. I'm just... a little skeptical."

"About what?"

"A lot of things, but I'm just glad you're still alive and not a hollow."

"But I'm slowly turning into one... aren't I?" My voice was soft and rumbled against his chest as his hand gently touched my shoulder to comfort me.

"We'll just have to wait and see just how much you've changed. Especially since the _hogyoku's _back inside of you."

"What exactly is the _hogyoku? _Why does Aizen want it so badly?"

"The _hogyoku _is something Urarhara and Aizen both created a long time ago-"

"So you're saying there were two at some point?"

"Technically speaking, yes. But then they were merged to form one, the one inside of you. The idea of it is to... let's say I wanted to be a hollow: I would use the _hogyoku_ to gain hollow-like abilities. And vice-versus."

"Is that how arrancars were created?"

"There was only one who was created by the _hogyoku,_ all the others were not."

"Oh... What else can it do? I feel like mom told me something else."

"The _hogyoku _not only breaks the balance between shinigami and hollow... but it also senses what people desire the most."

"So... basically it's a wish-granting orb?" I asked him my most puzzled voice, which made him smile and pull me closer.

"Yeah, how do you think Orihime and Chad got their powers when they were younger?"

"Are you serious? It was because of the _hogyoku _that they gained their powers? ...Wicked."

He chuckled to himself again as I looked up to him for a minute just to memorize his satisfied expression. It was quiet for a few more minutes until he gently pushed his arms under me and lifted me off the bed. I cringed in his arms as he carried me outside where he placed me right on his lap like I was some three-year old. My cheeks were burning out of embarrassment and pain as he settled down, but I couldn't tell him to let me sit normal.

"Do you not want to come back?"

"Ichigo! How could you ask me that when all this time that was the only thing I wanted?!"

"What'd you call me?"

"I mean... how could you think of something like that... dad?"

He glared down at me as I tried to hide my face against his chest, but nothing seemed to be working out for me. I felt his hand grasp under my chin, but he was being very gentle as I lifted up my head. We had this stare-down for a couple of seconds before I broke first and sighed out of anguish. My finger tapped against his chest as I tried to think of the right words to say, but every time I found something, it would slip away.

"For ten years... being home was what I longed for. But after a while, it seemed only something I could get in my dreams. Do you know what it was like to be alone for so long? Without a truthful explanation about what happened to me?"

"I knew you were probably hurt and confused, but it was for your own good. We weren't going to abandon you forever, just until you were old enough to understand."

"So... like when I was twenty?"

"Eighteen more likely."

"You couldn't even leave me a note? A letter?"

"I wanted to, and I tried countless times to send you something. But they were always intercepted and I was almost sent to jail for doing so."

"Oh geez, I don't need you in jail."

"Yeah... I'm sorry Hikari." He breathed heavily into my hair as he ran his fingers through to brush some out of my face.

"It's not your fault, it's no ones fault. It happened... and we just had to go through it. You have no idea how much I want to stay-"

"But?"

"But... I also want to stay with Karin and Yuzu to finish school, it would be lame to just end right now. What if I go to college or something! Wouldn't that be weird..."

"You do whatever you want," He laughed into my hair, his warmth seemed to grow even more as he started to mumble on about stuff.

"As long as you come see us, you're free to do the thing you want the most."

I couldn't help but laugh at my dad, it was as if he finally realized that I wasn't his little girl anymore. He suppressed a smile as I looked up at last and lightly kissed his cheek just to mess with him. I caught him groaning a little, but even so he seemed relieved that we were on better terms after all these years. His heartbeat started to lull me to sleep, but _K__yōfū _started to hum out loud to annoy me.

_"Having fun there?"_  
><em>Oh loads. Your dad's pretty cool, kind of dorky, but hey! All dads are like that.<em>

_"Yeah...he's pretty lame sometimes. Even when I was younger, he was afraid to do even the littlest thing with me. But now... I'm just glad we're on the same level."_  
><em>Me too, now we don't have to hide like before. Wonder if our eyes are changed right now.<em>

I cautiously glanced up towards my father, and by the spazzed look in his eyes, it was clear they did change to the bright blue color. But he wouldn't talk about it, not while we were having such a wonderful father-daughter moment. My giggle came out soft as I pressed my head against him a little harder, a smile grew back on my face. His hand swiped itself against my cheek, but froze as we heard something thud behind us.

"I wanna get in on this action!" Brother's voice was loud and coming fast as Ichigo and I realized what was about to happen in the next ten seconds.

"No Taka! I'm still sore!"

"Don't you dare do anything stupid, Takashi!"

But it was futile, Takashi had already skidded against the floor and was headed straight for us. It was a miracle Ichigo could throw me up high as he was pushed down by Big Brother. I landed on both of them, luckily my face was to the sky because it was so pink from holding back a humongous scream. Both of them were laughing to themselves despite what situation we were in, but after a few seconds I couldn't help but laugh with them, my hands grasped the back of their sleeves.

"M-Moron."

* * *

><p>After we all untangled ourselves and Ichigo carried me back to my bed, I was allowed to see my friends. Well, I had to see my mother and Byakuya first since they were family, plus I wanted to properly see my mother after so long. Her eyes were red and had tear-stained cheeks, but I could have cared less about her appearance. Byakuya didn't speak at all as mother held me close in her arms, a soft hum from the back of his throat was all I needed. Takashi stayed a few minutes to apologize, but I stopped him midway and told him off as nicely as I could. He merely chuckled and kissed the top of my head before Miyu stepped inside.<p>

She looked bruised but nothing serious screamed in my opinion, as usual she was mostly unharmed. There was a mutual silence between us for a couple of minutes before I started to laugh for no reason. I hated the quiet noise, so I made some that would cause her to join in at the last second. Once we had our fill, she grasped the back of my hand and gently started to comfort me.

"I'm glad you're okay." I reassured her, but she seemed upset and meekly smiled at me before her eyes glanced at my chest.

"I'm not the one with a hole in her chest. How you feeling?"

"I've had better days, but now that I'm not going to die anymore, I feel great."

That got her to laugh a little more naturally, but it seemed she was set in a rigid state of being. We talked about her experiences for a long while, I wanted to hear her thoughts on Toshiro and Rangiku most of all. I was ecstatic to listen to how they treated her so kindly and stuff, especially the normally-cold Toshiro. It was impossible to hold back my laughter when she told me how she hit him, and then he told her how to escape from his office.

"Oh man, he so sly!" I sarcastically stated at her, but she rolled her eyes and laid her head against the edge of the bed.

"You won't tell him I told you... will you?" She whimpered out, not in a tearful way but in a way she seemed to be holding something back from me.

"You know me... it'll eventually come out."

I could tell she was ready to pounce on me, but Rukia stepped inside to fix my bandages before Ciel came through. Without another word, she waved goodbye and walked out as mother stripped me of my top. Gentle hands soothed the itchy pain from the wrap, her touch was the best I'd ever felt. With a small brush against my cheek, she left but kept the door ajar. Moments later, after a quiet scuffle, Ciel sauntered in and shut the door behind.

He seemed to be in less pain now that his ankle wasn't so swollen from running around it in those tunnels. But his eyes were worn out and there were multiple bruises around his cheeks and chest. I stuck my hand out to graze his face, but he immediately grasped it and pushed it back against the bed. My voice got caught in my throat as he slowly started to cry, the tears just fell without warning. It was rare to see him break down so easily, and it tortured me to see his pain exposed out in the open. I gave him a few minutes to himself as his thumb brushed up and down the mark from the _hogyoku._

"C-Ciel?"

"Sorry, am I bothering you?"

"N-No! It's just... please don't cry."

As if he just realized he was crying, his hands quickly wiped his face with a sheepish grin behind his sleeves. I laughed a little as he cradled my hand again, but this time he seemed a bit happier. Both of us didn't know what to say, there wasn't a good topic we could choose from and I didn't want to bother him with questions about Yachiru. So we held hands in silence for the most part until it was time for Kouhei to step in. He looked towards the door when Ichigo knocked against it, but he refused to move at first.

"Ciel? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Ciel Jaegerjaque..."

"I'm just..." His smokey gray eyes took my breath away as he played with my bangs for a second or two. "Glad you're alive, I don't know what I would've done if... we were too late."

"But you weren't," I yawned at the last second before he could get up with a bad note in the air. "You were right there. And that's all that matters to me, because you're my best friend... and no one can tell me otherwise."

"When you say stuff like that... it makes it harder to let you go."

"What do you mean?"

"I still love you, Hikari."

"B-But what about Miyu?"

"I love her too, and there's no way I could break her heart. But... you've been mine for so many years, I guess I can't see you with someone else. Guess I'll have to get used to it."

"Ciel..."

"You've fallen for him, haven't you?"

My numb lip was taking quite the beating as I bit down hard, the fear of hurting my best friend seemed inevitable. For a moment, I thought he was about to say something, but instead he broke out into a fit of laughter and brushed his bangs the way I liked it. Without warning, I felt his lips against my head, his soft laughter from the back of his throat mocked me in a way.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Ci-"

"Don't say anymore, because I know. I love you too... short-stuff."

Our eyes caught each other for a moment before there was another sharp knock against the door. We both smiled until he leaned in again and kissed me directly on the lips without a word. I was about to yell at him, but he tickled me under my chin and took my breath away again. He snickered as the door opened to my father ready to yell at him. With a secret between us, Ciel sauntered out the room before Ichigo could give him a bashing. He glanced over to me, but instead of asking me what happened, he just shook his head and walked away.

_"Geezus, what a crazy boy."_  
><em>I can't believe you would let him steal a kiss that easily. But then again, I guess it's Ciel.<em>

_"Yeah, I wonder what time it is. It's probably past like what... one o'clock now? I spent a little longer with Ciel than Miyu. She's probably mad at him for not getting out sooner."_  
><em>You think she's that type of girl?<em>

_"Oh I know she's that kind; the slightly over possessive one but secretly is happy he has friends beside her."_  
><em>Hmph... I guess that makes a little sense to me. Incoming: boyfriend alert.<em>

I barely had time to react as Kouhei lightly grasped my face and kissed me abruptly. When he pulled away, it was obvious my face was red with embarrassment and confusion. His smug crooked smile took my attention away from the dark blue bruise on his cheek for only a few seconds. Then, within the time it took him to sit beside me, I had my hand out and gently cupped his face.

"What the heck is this?"

"Last time I checked, it was called a bruise."

"Shut up Kouhei, who did this to you?"

His eyes averted from me as I tried to make contact, but when I pinched his cheeks he angrily grasped my hand and pushed it back onto the bed. He held it down tightly, until he could no longer hold it in and laughed. I was about to say something when he carefully came closer and rested his head against my lap. Kouhei's face was too cute to be mad at, so I sighed and started to play with his wispy hair.

"Guess what I found."

"Another punch to the face? Was it Takashi?"

"If you go around accusing people, I won't give it back."

"Fine," I groaned under my breath as he reached down into his pocket and pulled something out. "What is it, Kouhei?"

The light in his eyes twinkled in delight as he handed me back my necklace, my dragon in perfect condition. I was so happy I nearly jumped off the bed, but he turned around and wrapped his arms around me to keep me still. There was a slight painful moment before he released me and sat on the edge again. After I let the pain wash through, he took it back and chained it around my neck for me.

"Where'd you find this? I was so worried-"

"Takashi... found it after we were all brought here. He was holding it and planned to give it back to you earlier but... you had a fight with him."

It was quiet after that, the memory of my brother and I yelling at each other made me speechless. After a few seconds, I told him what happened, and realized he wasn't trying to be mean in the first place. He wrapped his arm around me so I could rest my head against his chest, while grasping onto my hands as gently as possible. The sun was starting to peak over the buildings, but no one tried to ruin our moment together.

"I'm glad you're all okay."

"We're glad you're safe too, we shouldn't travel for a few days."

"I-Is that alright with you guys? I could just wing it at home, make something up for Karin and Yuzu."

"Don't worry about that, you should rest and stay here for the most part. We'll let you enjoy yourself here, take your time."

And with that, he kissed me softly one last time, ruffled my hair, and got up to leave. I would have asked him to stay, but I was so tired even from sleeping the entire day. My body hurt as I tried to lay back onto the bed, but after a while I managed to find the right spot and instantly fell back asleep.

* * *

><p>We stayed in the Soul Society for eight days, four of those days I was bed ridden until it was safe to move. Once I was allowed to walk around freely, I spent most of my time with those I had missed all those years and Rangiku were more than happy to spend time with me, but it wasn't like we did crazy things since my chest still hurt. We mostly stayed in the office and talked about the things we missed about each other, and what they thought of my friends. When it came to Kouhei, Toshiro's cheeks grew hot red and he sped out the room as Rangiku started to laugh like an old drunk.<p>

Once they had their fill, I pretty much went everywhere from Squad Eleven to old man Kyoraku's place. No one mentioned what happened with me and Aizen, they were more focused on the fact I had grown up so much. Almost all the girls (_mostly Rangiku_) had something to say about my matured body _ (it was funny to see the guys squirm_). No one could believe how such an innocent girl could grow up to be such a bad-ass character (_as Renji liked to call me)._

Yachiru and I hung with Kenpachi while Ciel tried to fight Yumichika and Ikkaku in their fighting room. You could tell how antsy Kenpachi was while watching Ciel, he wanted to so badly jump in and fight. It was even harder to keep him under control after we explained how much raw energy he had inside of him. But Yachiru managed to keep him in line as I scolded him and got Ciel out as quick as possible.

As I got him settled down with Takashi, I couldn't help but think of one other person to visit before my last day here. Normally, no one ever went there since Kurotsuchi was such a... excentric being. But I liked Nemu, she was so sweet in her own way despite her unemotional expressions all the time. He completely ignored me like before, but every now and then as we sat and ate ice cream together, his eyes would glance over at our fun. Right before I left to go back to mom and dad, I left a bar for him. I never found out whether he ate it or not, but just my action made me giddy on the inside.

The day of departure, I decided to spend it with my uncle since it would probably be a while before I came back. Plus, we were leaving at night, so everyone else was getting their last bit of fun before we had to leave. Byakuya's time was special, although most of it was in silence and I was about ten feet away from him. He was working on his stuff, so not to disturb him, I sat down on the ground _seiza _because it was a force of habit around him. Renji came in every now and then with a bunch more folders in his arms and dropped them loudly onto the desk. He would glance over to me and smile his _Cheshire-cat _smile as he swooped back out the door. As the afternoon drew closer, I started to have a little panic attack inside my stomach since Byakuya hadn't said anything to me at all since I'd shown up.

_Are we just gonna sit here till it gets dark? Is he ever going to apologize for being such a total asshat to us?_  
><em>"It's Byakuya, in all my life, I'd never heard him apologize for being so stern. It would be a miracle to even hear the word 'sorry' out from him."<em>

_Wow, is he that hard on people?_  
><em>"Well, yes and no, it's just what he grew up around. I think his people were really hard too, and mother said he didn't have much of a fun childhood."<em>

_Harsh, having to grow up in such a cold world._  
><em>"It wasn't all bad, Yoruichi told me he just has a hard time having fun. He's so stiff and-"<em>

"Hikari."

"Y-Yes?!" I answered back in a high-pitched squeak as he shifted his chair back away from his desk with a semi-relaxed expression for once.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." I could feel my breath tighten up as his eyes pierced through my lie so easily and unnaturally that I couldn't hide from him.

"Sit beside me." He commanded with his soft voice as his hand dropped a piece of paper to wave me over closer to him.

I hesitated at first before my legs got up and I found myself standing next to him on the other side of his desk. From where I was, you could see splotches of dried ink on some random parts, and his candle was nearly out. There wasn't a chair in sight, and I was afraid to ask him what I should do. As if he read my mind, he stood up abruptly and walked out of the room, the sounds of something crashing came to my ears. There were some curse words involved when he came back with a low stool in his hands.

"Will this suffice?"

"Um... y-yeah?"

He set it down as close to his chair as possible, then returned to his chair without a word. It was a tight fit on the chair, my knees were drawn closer against my chest and I couldn't see anything over his desk. Maybe like ten minutes later, I heard him groan and shift back against his chair and rest his head against the board.

"Come here."

"Come...where?"

I barely stood up when he grasped my arm as gently as possible and pulled me into his chair. Surprisingly, it had enough room so both of us were sitting comfortably together. My arms came close into my lap as his went on either side to continue his work. It was a little strange to be sitting back here like I was some five-year old child. But he didn't seem to mind it at all, he muttered something about me being too small for my own good.

"Relax Hikari, I'm not going to bite you... much."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud, Byakuya was never the type of guy to say such things in a sarcastic way. He too chuckled for a moment before he went back to his work, so I laid back and enjoyed my time. Renji never came back, which was good because it would have been weird for all of us. It was so comfortable to be against his chest that I nearly fell asleep, but when it grew dark he nudge me with his shoulder. My body jumped from the seat and went beside him, but he looked as if he barely noticed.

"I-I guess I should be going back then."

"I suppose so, be careful out there."

"I will, don't worry too much Byakuya-Oji."

"Byakuya... is just fine too." He mumbled under his breath as a slight pink blush grew along his cheekbones.

"B-But I thought-"

"Don't make me say it twice, I don't mind if you call me by my first name without honorifics. You're my only niece, which makes you special to me. But every now and then, I wouldn't mind being called Oji too."

My heart literally thumped out of sheer joy and relief, I couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth. Even mother didn't call Byakuya by his name alone, so getting permission was the best thing in the entire world to me. Because I was so full of happiness I jumped up and down for a second before I leaned in and kissed his cheek without warning. We both froze, my hands were still against his shoulders as I felt a warm blush grow alongside my neck. After a mumbled apology I bolted out the room and through his garden without glancing back.

It took me a while to find the hillside, for the past few nights I had nightmares over it and was slightly afraid to go there. But as the moon came up I realized I couldn't run away from my fears, so I quickly made my way up. No one seemed to care that I was late, they were all busy talking about their fun days and hardly noticed I had arrived. Only Ukitake saw me and came over, his pale face was glowing in the moonlight, showing off his better health. He greeted me and took me to the side, away from everyone for a moment.

"Hikari, I just wanted to give you this before you left." His voice was a little off as he pulled out a small, beat up badge and held it out to me.

"What's this for, Captain?"

"It's a Substitue Shinigami Badge; I realize you're not a substitute shinigami but it's nice to have something to separate your soul in a haste. You should carry it around in case of emergencies, don't lose it."

"I can't promise you that, Captain." I reluctantly laughed as I clipped it to my hip, which made him sigh in relief and sastifaction.

"Be careful out there in the Human World, if you ever need help just let us know."

"Of course, don't worry about little old me."

"I can't help it, not anymore." He confided in me as he swept his hand against my cheek in a gentle way with a bitter-sweet smile.

I smiled up to him, but something inside of me was nagging about how strange he'd been acting. Not only him: Byakuya, Renji, Toshiro, even my own dad had told me to be careful out there. Was it because of Aizen? And the fact he was still alive and wanted to _hogyoku? _Did they not trust me? I wanted to ask him, but the gateway opened and Rukia called me over to my friends.

All of them were smiling at me as I came closer, Toshiro and Rangiku moved away so it was easlier to get in the middle. Kouhei had his arm around my waist as Ichigo went over to make sure things were in place. Ciel and Miyu looked like they were ready to snog in public, but had to force it all back since there were so many people around. I felt the badge thump against me as we pushed through. It was a bit frightening to step inside a bright vortex that could possibly kill us (not really but it looked that way) but Ciel took the initiative and jumped right through. Miyu followed closely behind while Kouhei calmly stepped inside, leaving me alone for a few seconds.

"You're gonna go through, aren't you?" Ichigo asked me as I hesitated a minute too long for comfort, my nerves got the best of me.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'll see you guys later?"

"Of course, see you later. I promise."

His voice was shaking as he held back some tears, which helped me see the truth in his words. I nodded and twirled on my heel so I was facing the gateway again. After taking a few deep breaths, I jumped right through and walked most of the way until I hit the edge. Once there, it turned into a fight for dear life since for some apparent reason the gate was in the sky instead of the floor. The wind rushed through my hair as I looked down at my friends screaming for help as we came closer to the ground. Not wanting to die, I took the badge and separated my soul so it was easier to move. With my body in one hand, I flew down and grabbed onto Miyu's shirt with all my strength. Ciel saw what I was doing and did the same for Kouhei, who was shouting out curse words at the top of his lungs.

"Hang on Miyu!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

"Man, you're heavy!"

"Shut up Ciel!"

Somehow we managed to slow down the fall, but we still landed in some trees and crashed down back to earth. Once we all sat up and brushed off the branches and blood, Ciel started to badmouth Kouhei. They were about to get into a fight when something white flew over us like a random cloud.

"Hey you guys! You're early!" Kiskue Urahara's voice echoed from above as he floated past us with smug grin on his face.

"Urahara! What the hell?! Why didn't anyone tell us about this?!"

"What fun would have that been? And congratulations Hikari for not dying! See you guys later then!"

All four of us sat there and watched him leave in utter confusion for a good ten minutes. One by one we all stood up, and after convincing Ciel NOT to T.P Urahara's house, we made our way back home. Kouhei and Miyu went off their own way and C.J walked me most of the way home before he too separated. I stood outside my home _(in my normal body of course)_ for a few more seconds before I walked inside. Karin was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hands, her eyes flicked over to me as I shut the door. Without a word she sauntered over and brought me in close, her face was against my neck before I could greet her. I could tell she looked exhausted and worried, but words seemed to fail her at the moment. She pushed back my hair and smiled a tired grin before nudging me up towards my room.

"We'll talk in the morning, get some sleep."

"I'm sorry for not-"

"Not another word out of you, go upstairs and sleep." She commanded me a little forcefully, but I smiled and nodded at her.

The staircase creaked softly as I made my way to my room, Yuzu's soft snores echoed the hallway as I came to my door. Everything seemed to be exactly the same as I left it the day Renji tried to take me back by force. I don't know if anyone told them much, maybe Uryu told her something since his kids disappeared that same day too. But I couldn't really think at the moment, I was too tired and glad to be safe in my own room after so long. After I dropped Hyorinmaru onto my desk, I stripped of my clothing and changed into the night shirt left on my bed. My body formed itself on my mattress as I felt the comforting darkness come through at last.

_"Maybe now I'll get some real sleep."_  
><em>Maybe, goodnight Hikari.<em>

_"Goodnight... K__yōfū__."_


	24. A New Friend & Mutual Ally ?

**Monday, September 12th**

"Karin! Yuzu! I'm leaving early to make sure Ciel gets up today!"

"Alright, don't be late for your first day back!" Karin replied as I jumped down the stairs and out the door without a glance towards her.

"No promises! See you guys!"

The door slammed loudly as I scurried down the sidewalk towards the center of town, where C.J lived. Ever since the fifth grade, I had made it my mission to make sure he got up and went to school. He lived on his own, except for a few times in the year when Grimmjow came back to check up on him. There wasn't anyone else around to take care of him, that was why Karin and Yuzu weren't bothered when he came over some nights. They knew about his situation, so they were a little more lenient for that kind of thing.

My school blazer was a bit tight around my chest, something not new to me ever since freshman year. As I tried to keep the button from popping, my scar revealed itself as my shirt's button popped open too. I could feel the older people staring at me as I walked by, so my body hobbled to the side so it was easier to fix myself. It wasn't my fault that I had such obvious scars on my body, there wasn't much I could work with. The mark on my hand didn't help a lot either, people questioned me if it was a tattoo or a brand mark half the time. Sometimes I went along with it, but that only delighted me for a few seconds.

Once things seemed to be in order again, I booked it to the old apartments within record time. I had just set foot into the pathway when something blue caught my attention. My body literally jumped into some bushes nearby just as Miyu and C.J came walking by with a lovey-dovey look on their faces. They were holding hands and making googly-eyes at one another, a sure sign that I shouldn't come in between them.

I sat behind the bushes for a few minutes longer than I should have before they were completely gone from sight. After a few grumbles of pain and annoyance I made my way out back into the open. My lip was a bit sore after nibbling against it so much this past week, but in my head it was obvious I should have seen that coming. It wasn't my place to intervene now that those two were a couple, most likely Kouhei went over to see if I wanted to walk with him.

"Guess I'm not needed anymore." I sighed pathetically to myself as my feet kicked against the ground in a dejected manner.

Not even ten seconds later did I hear people shouting curse words and feel a new source of reiatsu soar behind me. My heart thumped against my chest as it came closer and closer, almost as if it was about to run into me. I turned my head over my shoulder as a massive chest collided with me and took me to the ground. We tumbled for a few seconds with each other until I pulled apart and laded face up towards the sky. My new socks that Yuzu had just bought for me were ripped because of some stupid rock, and I felt the stinging scraped pain on the palm of my hands.

"Ouch, too early for a collision." My voice was a bit rattled as the figure sat up and came close to make sure I was alright.

His brown eyes glanced up at me just as mine made contact with his, causing his mouth to part open like he was about to say something. He was wearing a school uniform from my school, but I had never seen him in my entire life. I would have remembered someone like him, he was that quiet-looking kid with curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. Even his skin was a dark shade of brown, so I would have definitely remembered this kid. He knitted his eyebrows for a second before two other people showed up.

"Kurosaki-Senpai! What do you think you're doing? C.J already left with his girlfriend!"

"Thanks for telling me, Captain Obvious." I unintentionally growled angrily towards the younger boy, who flinched and backed away as I stood up.

The annoying kid was someone from my block, his mom always ordered flowers from the shop so I knew him from that. He was a somewhat nice kid when he wasn't in school, but during, he was a total asshole. His name was... Tatsura... something Tatsura. When we first met in middle school, me being an eighth grader and him a seventh, we hit it off pretty well. Then at some point he developed a crush on me, but I declined his advances. Everything was fine between us until he found out about me and Kouhei, which set him off like a unpleasant firecracker in the middle of December. Ever since then (_which was about two months ago I think_) he sort of harrassed me from time to time but nothing serious. But today I didn't want to deal with him, not after the heart shattering realization I just went through.

"Mind telling me what the fuss is about? Aren't you going to be late, Tatsura?"

"I can say the same for you, Senpai. And none of your business!"

"Well, if your business just ran into me, then it also became mine."

"That's not even possible!"

"Stop yelling, you're too loud in the morning. Don't you have a muzzle for this kid or something?" I blatantly asked his friend, who snickered and shrugged his shoulders behind Tatsura's view.

"What's all this about anyway? Did he intimidate you with his height?"

"S-Shut up!"

"Oh well, someone needs a little self-reassurance. But you're not getting any from me today."

I took a step forward when the new kid stared at me with his humongous brown eyes in the most innocent way. He looked so panicked and freaked out that there was no way I could just leave him alone anymore. Plus there was a stain of bright red blood on his collar that dripped from his lip that stood out to me.

"Hey... new kid."

He looked startled as I called out to him, he even pointed his finger against his chest to make sure I was talking to him. With a gentle smirk I came closer to him while shifting my bag over to my other shoulder. Silently, I grasped his wrist and started to pull him along but Tatsura had something else to say.

"What are you doing!? Leave him Senpai! This is a man's-"

"If you say it's a man's fight, God help me keep myself from running over there to smack the side of your head. Go to school, you're girlfriend's waiting for you to move along now... no offense random guy."

"None taken." Tatsura's friend laughed nonchalantly which made him groan in anger and embarrassment thanks to my laughter.

"Come on you, let's get you cleaned up." I told the new kid, who complied and allowed me to take him along for an adventure.

We walked down the main part of town, but took the back way so neither Karin nor Yuzu could spot us if they were out and about. Not once did he ask me to release his wrist, and I found no reason to ask him if he wanted me to. I'd look back every now and then to make sure he was still there, and sure enough he was, just following me closely so as to not get lost. His height was much closer to mine than I thought at first, maybe only a few inches taller in reality.

"Don't worry about being late, we'll get some notes for the office. Hopefully they won't call our parents on us, sometimes they do that... but they know me." I tried to make small talk, but he seemed to be in his own little world.

_Smooth...real smooth._  
><em>"Shut up, who asked you?"<em>

_Why are you helping this kid anyway? We were supposed to get to school early! We promised Yuzu!_  
><em>"Calm down, I know I told Yuzu I wouldn't be late. Why do you think I got up early to make sure Ciel was up? It's tradition..."<em>

_Well who made you his caretaker? Why is Grimmjow always gone anyway?_  
><em>"It's... complicated."<em>

_You have no idea what he does do you?_  
><em>"Shut up."<em>

"Excuse me?" The new kid asked me as I stopped momentarily to give myself a break from fighting with _K__yōfū__._

"Where are we going?"

"Sorry, just to my grandpa's clinic. He'll check up on you and give us some notes for school."

"But I don't need to be checked on."

"But you don't want to be in trouble being it the first day of school, do you?"

That made him silent, but it wasn't like I was trying to hurt his feelings that much. I sighed bitterly and continued walking with him until we arrived at the clinic. My hand let his wrist go at last, even I felt a little embarrassed about holding it for so long. But when I turned around to make sure he hadn't run away, I was stunned to see him staring up at the family name running across the building. His eyes could not be pulled off for the longest time until I coughed and grabbed his hand again. I watched his cheeks burn like the sun before I turned around and brought him to the door.

I opened the door only a slight crack before Grandpa kicked his leg out and tried to hit me. But luckily the new kid grabbed my waist and pulled me against him as the door flew open. Grandpa tumbled out into a painful heap as we huddled close together. As I pulled away, his eyes were wide in shock and worry over me.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, what about you?"

"I'm okay..." He sighed in relief with a sheepish grin, revealing his pearly white teeth that glittered a little against his skin color.

"What the heck Hikari! You never let me have any fun!" Grandpa playfully groaned out loud as he stood up to wipe the dirt off his chest in a rhythmic way.

"Grandpa! I need a favor, one that you can't tell Karin or Yuzu!"

"Oh! I love secrets so early in the school year, what do you- Why is there a boy with you?"

"He's part of it! He... did Tatsura punch you?"

"Yeah, he knicked my lip. That's why I have blood on my collar." He mumbled as he brushed his bruised lip with his knuckles.

"Here, let me take a look. Let's go inside." Grandpa commanded as he pushed us lightly inside the house with a smile.

He took the new kid into his work area, but I didn't want to get in the way. I walked through the hallway into the kitchen where a huge mess was wating for me. Apparently he was trying to make pancakes, but of course it didn't work out. While he was taking care of things, I decided to help him out and started to wash his dishes for him. Dish soap and latex gloves wafted in the air for a few minutes as I cleaned as much as possible. Once that was done, I took a few snacks out from his refrigerator and walked around the house. Old family pictures hung along the walls, some with my mother and father, others with me and Takashi. There were a few from when my dad was still a little boy, one in particular was an ancient Polaroid with Grandma Misaki and her kids bunched in her arms. I couldn't help but brush my finger against the glass, my dad looked so happy here with everyone around him. My heart ached as I heard Grandpa shout for me to come over.

"Hikari!"

"I'm coming!"

After shaking the bad feelings away, I hobbled down the hall back to the work room. The new kid was sitting patiently on the table with a little band-aid on his lip. He grinned when he saw me, but Grandpa sauntered over and threw his arm around my shoulder for a one-arm hug.

"Grandpa, what are you doing?"

"Hika! You won't believe who this is!"

"Suprise me."

"Remember your father's friend Chad? Or Yasutora Sado?"

"Oh!"

_Yasutora Sado? Who the heck is that?_  
><em>"Chad! I've never met him, but he was a very close friend of Ichigo's in high school! They told me he went back to Mexico or something right after high school."<em>

_Well isn't that nice? Kinda looks like the gang's all here now._  
><em>"...Wow... old habits die hard huh?"<em>

_Looks that way to me._

"I remember stories about him, but I never actually met him."

"You're... Ichigo Kurosaki's daughter?" Sado-Kun asked me in the most amazed voice a person could use in their lifetime.

"Yeah.. that's me. The name's Hikari Kurosaki, Sado-Kun."

"Mine's Akito Sado... Kurosaki-Senpai."

"You don't have to be so formal with me, Sado-Kun. Hikari's just fine with me, I'm not the one for formalities."

"Then to be fair, you can call me Akito."

Words failed me for a moment, it was so strange yet amazing to hear this kid say such a thing to me. I thought it would be weird to hear someone say they hated formalities, my friends did the first time I met them. But this kid... he didn't even skip a beat to match with my some-what sassy note. He was wearing this cheesy grin that was so bright that I couldn't help but blush and nod back to him.

"I'm very happy to meet such a exuberant Kurosaki as yourself." His voice was a little high with giddiness as he held his hand out for me to shake it.

"I'm also very happy to meet a member of the Yasutora family." I answered back in the same kind of tone as we grasped each other's hand.

"Hey! What about me!"

"No one cares Grandpa."

"Poo, go away you big meanie." Grandpa playfully cried into a towel as he huddled into the corner of the room away from the both of us.

"I'm sorry Grandpa..." I sighed bitterly while my hand pinched the bridge of my nose to his delight and pleasure, the light in his eyes sparkled a little brighter.

"But we're in a bit of a rush, would you mind making us some doctor notes?"

"Alright, but I'll only do this once a month."

"Don't worry, we won't bug you that much... at least he won't but I'm not so sure about me." I implied as I pointed my finger towards Aki, who looked back to me and then to Grandpa.

"W-What she said."

Grandpa rolled his eyes and retreated to his desk to write our notes while Akito got closer to me with no real reason. We stood by each other until he returned with the little pieces of paper and sent us on our way. The entire walk, all we did was talk about our parents and laughed about them (_I omitted the part about the abandonment until the time was better). _He was smiling and talkative the entire way, for most of it I just listened to him admire his dad for so much. Soon we found ourselves talking about our gifts; mine being my _zanbaktou _and his was something like Chad's.

"They're kinda difficult to use, but I think I got the hang of it."

"That's really awesome Akito, now we'll have another second-generation kid running around little Karakura Town."

"There's more?" He exclaimed with such mock terror that it made me choke on my own laughter.

"Well yeah... let's see... there's me, although I'm a little messed up on the inside."

"That's alright, it makes you stand out. Who else is there?"

"There's a new Quincy, his name is Kouhei Ishida and he's actually a year older than me. Then there's his sister who's my age, her name is Miyuki. If you've heard your dad's stories, she's just like Orihime-San."

"Are you serious? That's pretty neat, are there other soul reapers?"

"Well... let me ask you something first; what did your dad tell you about... _arrancars?" _I could feel my throat tighten up as he looked down at me with a quizzical look.

"He told me most of what he remembered, like how they're pretty deadly people. Why? Don't tell me there's more of them too?" He tried to joke with me, but he quickly sucked a bit of breath as I glanced from the side.

"Yeah... there's more of them too. But there's only one that lives here, and he's my best friend."

I hadn't realized it until we were passing a mirror-like building, but Aki stopped way behind me and froze. When I finally told myself to stop, my head couldn't turn around to face him. There was no reason to feel embarrassed, but maybe it was because he didn't know anything like me so it hurt a little more than usual. It took us a minute to look at one another, but he took the first step forward and came to my side again.

"Who... is his dad?"

"G-Grimmjow... Jaegerjaque."

"Does he have blue hair like him?"

"He does," The corner of my lips curled up into a small, sheepish grin as I felt his arm around my shoulders. "But his eyes are a smokey gray, not bright blue."

"And his tattoo? Does he have one?"

"Of course he does, it's on his chest."

"And you know this how?"

"I'm his best friend, of course I would know." I stated in a matter-of-fact voice, which made him snicker a little under his breath.

"Of course..."

"It's the number three, there's only five of the second-generation arrancars so he's pretty strong despite being a loose cannon."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a very long story; to put it bluntly... if you make him angry when you fight then there's a huge chance you'll die."

"Is there no way to stop him?"

"So far, I'm the only person that can."

"Doesn't that scare you? Even a little?"

"I'm sure I've been on the brink of death plenty of times without his help... it's just my bad luck." I grumbled a little under my breath but he took it a little to seriously and frowned disapprovingly.

"You're a bad luck magnet?"

"Well, when you have the _hogyoku _inside of you... you attract a lot of unwanted attention."

His eyes nearly popped out at the new strange word I just put out there, but he refused to ask about it. It was like he knew I would tell him if he wanted me to, but again, we were new friends. I just wanted to get everything off my chest before school, but Aki kept brushing my words to the side for a later time. That somewhat made me feel happy inside, despite the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. My hand brushed up against the mark, which caught his attention but yet again he bit back his tongue and kept moving forward.

Finally, we arrived to school with less than twenty minutes still left in homeroom for us to wallow in agony. The secretary smiled at the both of us as we exchanged our notes for passes to the classroom. The hallway seemed even smaller now that I was closer to being on top, but maybe it was because Aki was such a tall person to be standing by. We walked the rest of the way in silence until we met the crossroad, his class was upstairs and mine was just at the end of the hall.

"Well.. thanks for everything Senpai."

"Yeah, I had fun too. Hope I didn't scare you too much with my stories... or my marks."

"Nah, now I'm even more excited for the school year. Let's talk more later, don't want to be too late for class."

"Whatever nerd, see you later then?"

"Sure sure." He exhaled in a pleasant voice as his hand brushed my cheek and patted my head like I was the younger kid.

I playfully pushed him away, my body made the motion to continue my way to class as he walked away. But I stopped midway and sort of stayed there to let the fun atmosphere linger within my grasp. But then I heard people walking my way so I had to keep going before they saw me. The classroom itself seemed to be alright, but what was waiting inside for me was not what I expected.

"There you are! Where the heck were you girlfriend?! What's with the blood!?" Ciel's voice hit my like a bullet as he jumped from his desk and interrupted the teacher's lecture.

"Jaegerjaque! Get back in you seat this instance!" The teacher, a middle-age man with wavy black hair and soft brown eyes, angrily instructed Ciel but he was already down the aisle and into my arms.

He unexpectedly grabbed me into a tight bear hug, which made the class erupt into a fit of chuckles. My cheeks had never burned so hot in class in my entire life, the anger pooled through my veins with every passing minute. I tried to push him away back to his desk, but he examined the stray blood from Aki's busted lip and thought it was mine. He tried to look at every angle to make sure I was fine, but my actions got the better of me.

"Ciel... go back to your seat!" I whispered fiercely as my leg rose to kick him in the gut but he caught on and grasped my ankle midway.

My body hopped around for a few seconds before I unconsciously threw my fist against his hip, which struck a bad nerve. Ciel went down like a rock, but unfortunately, he took me down with him. We landed in a painful heap, especially since I had to land in an awkward position away from him. To make it even worse, my buttons on my blazer gave up and exploded into the air. All eyes were on me as my scars were exposed, along with my new pink lace bra that I had bought for the new school year.

"Sonofabitch!" I cried as loud as possible to my surprise, which made the class laugh even harder than before.

"Cover yourself, Hikari!" Ciel's body glomped over me to hide my chest, but I couldn't take it anymore and started to strip him.

"Give me this!"

He eventually caved in and allowed me to unbutton his own blazer for myself. It's sleeves went past my hands as I hurriedly tried to re-button it. With a little help, we managed to make me decent for the time being till Miyu could put everything in order again. As the class settled down, soft hands grasped my arm and helped me back to my feet. Ciel reluctantly returned to his desk as I stood awkwardly next to the new teacher.

"I am so sorry about this, he's not normally like this to me." My voice ranted on and on, but he brushed his finger against my lip and chuckled.

"It's alright Kurosaki, my class was falling asleep on me anyway. You woke them up, I thought I would have to use drastic means." He chuckled kindheartedly as I sighed in relief and pulled out my note from earlier.

"Here, my note from the office."

"Ah... alright then. I guess I'll just," His voice seemed to be a lot closer as he snatched the note and gave me a semi-seductive wink. "Take this if you don't mind."

"N-Not at all... where do I sit?"

"First, introduce yourself to the class and then I'll guide you to your seat."

"Oh... okay then." I gulped a little too loudly as I faced my entire class for real this time, the atmosphere a bit off since everything was back to normal.

"Well then... my name is Hikari Kurosaki and I'm sixteen years old. Um... I live with my aunts Karin and Yuzu, who own the flower shop in the middle of town. I like swimming, reading, flower arranging.. and sometimes if I'm bored I'll practice calligraphy. And let's see... in case it wasn't obvious, that moron with the blue hair is my best friend since forever."

"Yeah, you tell them Hika!" C.J enticed me with his slightly sadistic grin, which encouraged the class to laugh softly this time.

"And..." I felt my voice trail off as my hand started to scratch at my mark, which brought a lot of eyes to it.

"This... is real." I suddenly felt a rush of confidence as I showed off the mark like it was my prize-winning tattoo or something.

Almost everyone oohed and ahhed except for Ciel who nearly went faint because of how much laughter was inside of him. At last he couldn't hold it back and exploded with such laughter it knocked him off his chair. The girl who sat behind him nearly had a heart-attack as he jumped back up and continued to laugh.

"Impressive... impressive indeed..." The teacher laughed quietly to himself as he walked over and placed his hand around my shoulder.

"Your desk is diagonal to your best friend next to... Arisawa-San. Arisawa-San, would you raise your hand please?"

As the petite girl raised her hand, I shifted my bag over my shoulder and proceeded to her. Ciel tapped my butt as I passed him, but I managed a good smack to his head before I arrived. The girl grinned at me while I sat down, with her soft blue eyes set right on my mark. When I glanced back up she immediately caught my gaze and laughed unexpectedly. She was holding a piece of her long black hair in her hand, and for some reason I thought she would try and rip it out.

"Hi Kurosaki, had a tough morning today?"

"Well... not really. I did a good deed and helped a new kid find his way to school."

"That's awesome, he made it okay?"

"Yeah. Arisawa... did your hair get longer over the summer?" I asked out of wonder, which made the light in her eyes sparkle with delight.

"Y-Yeah it did, no one noticed except for you... what about you?"

"What about me?"

"It's... all gone." She replied while looking down towards the floor, mostly likely to make the teacher believe she had dropped something.

"Oh... do you like it?" I followed her actions and pretended to be helping her, but really I wanted to see the look on her face when she spoke.

"It's fantastic, it suits you very well. It brings out your highlights in a very spontaneous way." She beamed at me with such glorious light it made my breath fade away.

"T-thank you."

We sat back upright as the teacher fumbled with some loose pieces of paper and his cup of coffee. Most people were laughing, some were trying to sleep, but like my neighbor on the other side of me... they were completely mesmerized by him. I had to admit he wasn't bad-looking, his hair glistened nicely in the light but something about him made him... off. He was pretty cheesy too, his nearly tipped his cup out the window before he settled it down on the desk and laughed it off.

"Ahem, let me start my introduction from the beginning again; my name is Shukuro Tsukishima and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year." I felt shivers up the back of my spine as his honeyed voice echoed through the classroom.

Something else about him bugged me, like he knew something and wasn't telling me. I'd never met him in my entire life, so there was no way I would know. But he kept staring at me like there was a secret joke between me and him... His eyes stared at me the entire class period until my heart started to beat unnaturally. My lip felt bruised as I laid my head down against the desk, but even that couldn't shake his stare away.

"I hope we get along this year, and more so we... see how we work together."

* * *

><p>Class went by slower than any snail I'd seen in the summertime, we did absolutely nothing after Tsukishima's introduction. I nearly fell asleep if the bell hadn't been so loud and the kids beside me yelped in bliss. Ciel grabbed my bag before I reached down for it and walked out the class without me. Arisawa muffled her laughter but Tsukishima had no trouble with making his noticeable. After a quick glance over to him I speedily rushed out to get my bag back but someone already took it from Ciel.<p>

"K-Kouhei!" I sounded a little too excited as his hazel eyes looked down at me with my bag over his shoulder.

"I believe this is yours... that blazer is too big on you."

"I know..." I groaned in a glum sort of way, the kind that always sparked unwanted attention to you. "It's C.J's, my buttons finally popped off during class."

"What were you doing in class to make them pop?"

"It's a long story, I was gonna wait till lunch to tell you guys. But for now, C.J's naked and my hands are covered with-"

Mid-sentence, Kouhei literally ripped the blazer off of me and exposed my unbuttoned shirt to the world. My blazer was safely tucked inside my school bag, so everyone around me saw what had happened. Before I could even lift a finger, Kouhei's arms threw themselves against my chest and pushed me towards a safe area. From there; he looked around, took his own blazer off, and carefully draped it over my shoulders.

"I'll hand this to Miyu, who'll pass it back to C.J." He calmly muttered out loud as he re-buttoned the jacket for me without my consent and took Ciel's.

"What the heck, what's all this for?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"..."

"You're only allowed to wear my things when it's necessary, not your best guy friend's." Kouhei's words rolled off his tongue in a matter-of-fact tone while he rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, how did you not know that?"

"W-Well... I've never had a boyfriend. Y-You're my first, so I didn't realize there were steps for this kind of thing..."

He gazed down towards me with a slight blush around his ears, but he brushed his hair back and tried to distract me. I couldn't help but giggle under my breath, it wasn't everyday Kouhei blushed like a little school girl. My hands softly cupped his face so I could kiss his cheek, but he had another thing in mind. His arms swooped from thin air and wrapped themselves around my waist, pulling me in closer. He leaned his head in and lightly bumped up against me before I looked up. From there, he lightly brushed his lips against mine and took a nibble as I tried to pull away.

"Don't be so cute out in public, that's not fair." He purred in a teasing voice, laughing as my cheeks turned fifty shades darker than what they were already.

"O-Okay?"

"You should go back to class, don't want to be late again?"

"N-No..."

Reluctantly, he released me and twirled me out into the open space where there were still a few lingering people. Most of them grinned at out cuteness but mostly they tried to get out of the way before I ran them over. Kouhei laughed as loud as possible when I finally stopped moving and turned to get my bag. But of course he held it up in the air so I couldn't reach it, it was inevitable to even try. So of course I had to play dirty too; my hands grasped the front of his shirt and pulled him down to my level. It looked like I was going to kiss him, but I really bashed my head against his and took the bag away.

"Ow! That's wasn't cute at all!"

"I love you too, Kouhei!" I exclaimed in my loudest voice possible before he could regain his posture and grab me again.

He grumbled something out loud but I was too far down the hallway to properly hear his words. Class came and went, most of what was going on was repeated so I didn't pay attention to it all. Once the bell rang for lunch, I went down the stairs to my own private lunch area where C.J was setting his spot against the tree. Miyu and Kouhei walked up together and sat in their respected areas (_Miyu went directly to C.J's arms and rested her head against his shoulder while Kouhei came beside me and laid down against my lap_).

After explaining what happened to my blazer and shirt, Miyu pulled out her sewing kit (_Uryu gave it to her for her birthday like three years ago_) and started to work. The entire time she scolded both Ciel and I for not behaving like proper kids, but that only made him flutter his eyelids in glee. We all chuckled and started to tell each other about our day, but then I realized there was one thing I forgot to mention.

"Guys!" I suddenly shouted with such emotion that everyone stopped moving all together to stare at me. "I forgot to tell you! I met someone today! And you won't believe who it is!"

"Geezus, you nearly gave me a heart-attack." Ciel responded out of irritation, his sandwich destroyed after grabbing it too hard.

"What are you talking about sweet-Hikari!" Miyu choked on her own breath and promptly shook out her hair to change the moment. "Who did you meet?"

All eyes were set on me, but there was a weird tension because she tried to say the word _sweetheart. _After what happened over at the Soul Society, they had been trying to find new names to call me because of Nezu. I told them openly that he used that nickname during my stay in the _Senzaikyū, _and that I personally hated it now. But I didn't think they would take it seriously, it wasn't like I would burn every time they used it. I shouldn't had said anything... then again... they would've eventually found out.

"Well... did Orihime or Uryu ever talk about Yasutora Sado? Or someone called Chad?"

"Oh yeah, dad talked about him a lot when we were younger." Kouhei said aloud as he stretched his arms high into the air before the rested against my lap again.

"Said he was a quiet fellow, but was loyal to everyone he knew. He also said it was Ichigo who was closest to him, is he around again?"

"Sort of, I meet his son. He's a sophomore here at school, that's the reason why I was late this morning... stupid Tatsura."

"Oh not that kid again, was he trying to pick on him? Is Sado-Kun short?"

"No, he's taller than me... but shorter than you guys."

"You make that seem like a bad thing, Senpai." Aki's fruity voice came from above as he tugged at a piece of my hair in a playful manner.

"Akito!" I laughed in a pleasant voice as he sat beside me with his chessy grin from this morning and glanced around my group of friends for a second.

"You found me!"

"Wasn't that hard, not with everyone's spiritual pressure in one concentrated area. Nice to meet you guys, my name's Akito Sado."

"Miyuki Ishida."

"Kouhei Ishida."

"And mine's Ciel Jaegerjaque, but everyone besides Light calls me C.J for short."

"C.J... you have pretty cool hair."

"I like this kid already." Ciel purred in satisfaction as Miyu giggled and tried to concentrate on my almost-finished blazer and shirt.

For the rest of lunch, we talked and talked about one another's parents like we hadn't seen each other in a long time. It felt right to me, the atmosphere was in perfect harmony like Aki was meant to be with us. He talked most of the time and answered their questions, but I had already heard his stories so I played with Kouhei's hair. He purred in pleasure over such intimate contact, every now and then he would close his eyes to soak up my warm touch.

Eventually the excitement wore itself out and the bell rang to tell us it was time to go back to class. Luckily for me, Miyu finished in the knick of time and handed me my stuff. I was so elated to have my clothes back, but that also meant I had to talk to my aunts about getting another size up. After giving Kouhei his blazer back, I rushed up the stairs to my next class and closed the door. No one would be in till the bell rang so I decided to put on my shirt in there.

My scars seemed faded into my tanned skin as I covered them before anyone stepped inside. The most noticeable one was from where Shinose stuck his arm in, but it looked even worse thanks to Aizen's stab. It was still in the middle, but now there was a long thick line that cut under my chest and around my torso. The familiar bite that started everything seemed to be almost gone except for a few teeth marks still embedded into my skin. As the blazer smoothed itself out, the mark glowed a little and sent a spark through my arm.

"Ouch..."

"Oh Kurosaki, you're early to class." Tsukishima's voice echoed from the front of the room as he settled his briefcase on his desk.

"M-Mr. Tsukishima! W-What are you doing here, I thought this was History..." My voice came out croaked as I tired to button everything in a rush.

"I know, I've recently become the US history teacher. The original one had an accident this morning, something about his car hitting something- I don't know. Anyway, it looks like I'll be taking over for the year."

"Oh... awesome? Does that mean you have to come over here after lunch now? Didn't you already have another class to teach?"

"Well yeah but... I got someone to take it over. So I'll be there in the morning, but by third period I have to come over here."

"That kind of sucks I guess."

"Do you like history, Hikari?" He said my name so smoothly and apathetically with such an impish grin that I couldn't help but grip my bag a little tighter.

"I do, actually; history has so many stories that can excite anyone with anything. It's my favorite class out of my schedule."

"Is that so? So it does... stories..." He started to sing softly to himself while I decided to take a seat somewhat closer to him.

"Do you like to sing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sing, just like me right now. Oh don't look so embarrassed, I won't laugh. I was just wondering..."

"Um... I did when I was younger. But now I haven't really tried around people, my voice is too scratchy to hit the high notes anymore." I answered as honestly as possible, which made him jump in his seat.

"Wonderful."

"Yeah... wonderful."

As soon as it got quiet the door opened, and students started to pile in one after another. Miyu's cheery smile caught my attention, but she was taken to a far desk by some other girls. I would have called out to her, but something made me shiver and fell off. Tsukishima was staring at me while I tried to look away, but it was futile. When the bell rang at last, I buried my head into the desk and tried to drone out his voice with some silly tune. But even that coulnd't mask the intense glare he was giving me, nothing I did worked.

Time went by slowly, but the bell finally rang, and almost everyone got up immediately to leave for the last period of the day. Miyu stayed behind so we could walk to class together, but then Tsukishima called me out. She would have waited for me, but he waved her away and told her to leave.

"It'll only be a minute, nothing to worry about Ishida." He said with a pleasant smile, his eyes glittered in the light so she took it and left.

"What is it that you want, Tsukishima?" I asked as bluntly as possible in an awful attempt to get him off my back, but he merely laughed and shrugged his shoulders at me.

"I just wanted to know what you thought of my teaching, since it's my first time with History and all. I figured I could trust your word since you like the subject so much."

"Oh. I liked it actually, how you talked about the early nations of the world. Maybe ease up on the jokes but all in all everything was nice."

"Really? That's a relief to me," He sighed in fake glee as he came around to the front of his desk and sat in my view. "I was worried a little."

"There's nothing to worry about, you're going to do a fine job with History."

"I'm glad."

"...Well this has been fun, but I really must get to class. Trigonometry is waiting for me..." I shyly laughed as my body got up and went towards the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tsukishima."

"Bye Hikari, and if you don't mind doing me one little favor..." I'll never forget how his voice turned from honeyed to a deep grave in mere seconds. "Tell Ichigo hi for me would ya? It's been so long since the last time I saw him."

The door handle itself felt fake in my grasp, no matter how hard I told myself to turn it... nothing happened. Did I just imagine it? Did he actually ask me to say hi to Ichigo for him? How did he know my dad? What wasn't he telling me? Was he good or was he bad? Which was it?

_Hika! The bell's gonna ring soon, so let's get a move on!_  
><em>"I-It won't budge."<em>

_What?_  
><em>"T-The door... it's not moving at-"<em>

"Here, let me help you with that." Tsukishima's laugh came right behind my ear, his callused hand covered mine as he opened the door for me.

"Thank you see you tomorrow!" My voice seemed rushed and faint as I sped out of the room as fast as possible.

I made it to Trig with a few seconds to spare, but I looked like I had just ran a marathon. Miyu and C.J were sitting side-by-side and glanced up at me with worried expressions. But as much as I wanted to tell them what happened, my insides told me to hold it off. So I did what any girl would do: I simply laughed and went to my desk like nothing happened. The teacher talked nonstop so they didn't get the chance to have a word with me. But during her lecture my mind was buzzing with crazy thoughts on how he knew my dad. None of them seemed real until something clicked inside. Something that I had only heard once in my entire life.

The short time when dad lost his powers... and he found that group... what were they called again?

...Fullbringer.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Thank you guys for reading my story! I hope things are more interesting now. Don't be afraid to leave me a comment or two, just saying. Have a good day or night!<em>**


	25. I Understand I Hope

**Thursday, September 22: Akito's POV**

School was not the most exciting time for me, especially during the first few weeks of it. Most of my classmates were morons and the teachers were pretty dull themselves. There was this one girl that stood out to me, but ever since the first day when I accidentally kicked her water bottle and soaked her favorite sweater, she didn't like me that much. Besides that, everything was pointless and boring in the classroom. But once I was out, then that's when things were different for me. I had friends, I mean, I had friends my age IN the class... but then I had those OUT of the class. The real ones, that knew that pain and struggle with being... diverse beings. They were all older than me, but that didn't matter one bit. It was Hikari who brought me into their world, and I liked it.

Kouhei was pretty cool, him being all suave made me laugh because he didn't know what to do half the time. And Ciel... well he was just a pretty amazing dude to begin with since he just looked crazy. Miyuki, she was very beautiful and had this air about her that made her stand out. Or maybe she stood out because her boyfriend was such a beastly character that couldn't be contained.

Except by Hikari. She was the only one who could control him half the time when she wasn't "_play fighting"_ with Kouhei.

I admired Hikari, much like everyone that knew her or knew about her. Eventually she told me about her parents and "family"; what happened and why she was here in the first place. There was bitter-sweet emotions in her eyes when she spoke, and I couldn't do anything to wash it away. It was hard for me to listen, I didn't like to see her so hurt and lost for something she couldn't control. But when she finished, she looked relieved and happy now that things were finally looking up to her. She trusted me, even though I barely moved here about three months before school started up again. We didn't know a lot, but deep inside, Hikari felt we had this connection, just like with everybody else.

Since then, during school and over the weekends, we all hung out together. They pretty much put me through an initiation process so I could literally be a part of their gang of misfits. Some of the things they made me do was hard, and somewhat illegal, but we never got caught. It was great, the time with them...even the first few weeks...was great to me.

During school, we always said to each other even if we barely caught a glimpse. C.J liked to make a big fuss, so I gained a lot of attention from my peers because of him. And Miyu, she was that sought-out girl all the boys in my grade wanted to say hi to. One time, I think on a during the passing period, she kissed me cheek and all the guys nearly went ballistic. Hikari, on the other hand, would come up to me and give me the biggest pat to my shoulder a person could do. It hurt, but her laughter was too contagious to ignore. Kouhei only nodded, but a lot of girls were swooned by his appearance... I think it was the eyes...

That's was caught my attention during class, he stormed in during my teacher's lecture with this angry look in his eyes. There was a note in his hands; I told myself he was coming over to say hi real quick. But then the menacing glare he was giving me was a sign that things weren't going to be very nice for me.

"I need a word with you... Now." His voice was so low and rough, the echo gave my neighbors the chills and shakes.

From the corner of my eye, I could see my teacher wanted to intervene. But he was too horror-struck to dare to try and stop Kouhei. I knew where this was going, so I stood up and followed behind with without a glance to my teacher. We walked down the stairs, through the courtyard, until we hit the trees in the back of the school. There he stopped, stuffed the note back into his pocket, and then turned on his heel to stare at me again.

"I'm sure you know why I brought you out here."

"To be honest Senpai, I don't really have a clue."

"Don't bluff, I need you to talk."

"If this is about-"

"It is."

I wanted to scream out of anger and annoyance, sometimes Senpai was a little over dramatic. Maybe it was because Hikari meant something special to him, but there were times when I felt like he was too controlling. This was gonna be about what she wanted me to do... something to do with Tsukishima...

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Three Days Ago<strong>_

_It was the end of the day, everyone was getting their stuff and I was on my way home. Then suddenly, I felt Hikari standing right behind me, waiting patiently for me to turn around. I was gonna do something elaborate to make her laugh, but when I caught her gaze I stopped. She looked tired, like for some reason she hadn't slept well for a while now. It wasn't as obvious as before, but now her bags were dark and noticeable._

_"Can we talk for a second... just you and me?" Even her voice sounded tired, much different than her normal fruity one that I had grown accustomed to._

_I nodded to her, unsure of what words I should use in this situation. She grinned, but it looked brittle, unlike her somewhat bubbly grin she often wore. I followed her to our lunch spot, and was surprised when she kept glancing over her shoulder every now and then... like someone was watching her. I stopped but she kept walking for a few more seconds until her body froze under the shade of the tree._

_"What's the matter, is something wrong Senpai?" I asked her in my most gentle voice, but even that startled her for a few seconds until she shook out her fluffed-up hair._

_"Your dad... does he know anything about... fullbringers?"_

_"Fullbringers?" _

_"Yeah... I was wondering since your dad is one an all."_

_"He told me loads of stuff, but I honestly never paid attention to it. Although I guess you can call me one too... Why?"_

_"D-Do you think he could tell me about them? Before my parents come to visit me?"_

_"You said they come on Sundays right?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"I'm sure he'd be more than happy to tell you about them, but I need to make sure he's not busy or something."_

_"You do that for me, thanks." She looked relieved yet heartbroken at the same time, like there was nothing that would satisfy her needs._

_"Hikari what's wrong?You've looked upset since last week and it's starting to show."_

_As soon as I looked towards her she flinched like I was about to hit her, or someone was trying to. For a second it seemed like she was about to fall to her knees and bawl into her hands. But she didn't; she sucked in a bit of breath and brought them up to huddle herself closer for warmth. I heard a faint laugh from her, but it was clear for some reason there was nothing funny about this topic._

_"I'm sorry, and you're right, I've been a little upset for a while now. Not because of you guys or anything it's just that... something's bothering me. Or should I say... someone"_

_"Who is it? What are they doing to you? No offense, but you look like a nervous wreck."_

_"I know," She laughed tiredly into her sleeve with a timid grin, which caught my attention until her exhausted eyes looked up towards me_

_"I am a nervous wreck, I haven't felt like this since I was a kid. When I waited for my parents to come back."_

_"But it's different this time... isn't it?"_

_"It's a hell of a lot different, I can't get it out of my mind!" She violently shouted at me, but took a step back and grabbed her hair out of frustration._

_"He's watching me, wherever I go, no matter what class I'm at. He's there, I can feel him staring at me twenty-four-seven. There's not a time when my guard's down, even with you guys at lunch."_

_"Who's watching you, tell me Hikari!" I sounded desperate as I came forward and gently grasped her arms to gain her attention but pulled back a little when she cringed._

_"Who's doing this to you?"_

_"T-Tsukishima.."_

_"Tsukishima? Isn't he your homeroom teacher?"_

_"And History... something's not right with him."_

_"What makes you say-"_

_"He knows Ichigo."_

_My hands came back to my sides as I stood there in confusion for a few minutes. It was strange to hear someone talk about their parents like that, and use their name so easily. But judging by the look in her eyes, it was clear she was used to saying his name out loud. It just fell out so smoothly and comfortably that you would've been surprised to see her not use his name. Her big eyes glanced up in a bewildered way but then shifted to a sympathetic look. She bite her lip and leaned against the trunk with her hands on the sides of her hip._

_"Sorry about that, I'm used to saying his name so easily. Sometimes it strikes people as odd, but it's a force of habit."_

_"Don't worry about it, it's quite funny to hear you say it. But what's this about Tsukishima?"_

_"Because Ichigo never told me all of his Fullbringer stories, I don't know if Tsukishima's good or bad. During class, it feels like he's bad, but then again, he hasn't tried to hurt me in any way. It's never been this hard to tell, in your case and Grimmjow's as well. I knew about your older counter parts beforehand... but it's different now. It's different and I can't stand it!"_

_She looked exhausted and depressed; once she stopped speaking it looked like tears were about to fall. My arms found themselves around her again, but I told myself it was alright. I could feel her body stiffen against my chest, and her hands grasped my shirt in an attempt to push me away. But after I pulled her in closer, she sort of gave up and let out a huge sigh. Her arms fell limply to her sides and around my torso. I couldn't help but think she was so soft and at some point I might hurt her by accident. _

_"Thanks Aki... I needed this."_

_"No worries," I laughed softly as we pulled away from each other, her hands lingered on my shirt for a few more seconds. "I could tell you needed a hug."_

_"Yeah, it worked wonders." Hikari's color returned to her cheeks with a bright red tint from being a little embarrased._

_"Just let me know, would you?"_

_"Of course... Senpai."_

* * *

><p>Now, here I was, being interrogated by my Senpai's overly-protective boyfriend who wouldn't care if he hurt me or not. I didn't want to tell him anything without going over it with Hikari, I had planned on telling her after school or whenever we were alone together. With him dogging me like this... it would be harder than planned.<p>

"Senpai, I can't tell you anything because it's not right. When it's okay, then maybe I'll-"

"That's not good enough for me!" Kouhei spat out in fustration, his eyes had this look of pure tortue and everlasting pain.

"What do you want me to do then? Hikari trusts me and I won't allow myself to lose it so easily just because you're her boyfriend!"

That stopped him entirely, all his anger just vanished from his face and into thin air. I suddenly felt faint, I'd never yelled at someone like that and it made me sick to my stomach. Before I could even say sorry, he crumbled to his knees and brought his head into his lap. My mouth opened to say something but the air was filled with soft sobs and murmured cursing. Kouhei... was crying... he was seriously crying... in front of me...

"K-Kouhei...Senpai?"

"I can't... I just can't do it again..."

"Do what?"

"Lose her... again..." He sobbed softly into his sleeve, his face hidden from my sight for the time being until he was ready to show.

"Lose her? What do you mean, Senpai?" My voice was scratchy with hesitation as I balled my hands for a quick attack if necessary... but I prayed it wasn't necessary.

"Before... in the Soul Society... did she tell you what happened?"

"She mentioned vaguely about the events... but it's worse... isn't it?"

"She almost died... right then and there. That son of a bitch stabbed and nearly killed her with one thrust of his sword." There was acid in his voice that was so obvious and horrible to listen to at the same time.

"I... I couldn't do anything to help, they wouldn't let me. I watched her face, she doesn't remember what happened after they left. She fell to the floor and started to sob, the worse kind a person could do. Everyone panicked, it was chaos until Miyu tried to heal her but they wouldn't allow it. The pain was too much for her, she needed serious medical treatment... it almost didn't work."

I remained silent the entire time, it sounded too horrible to be the truth. There were tears on the ground for a split second before he swiped against it and destroyed them. In a weak manner, Kouhei stood from the ground and tried to compose himself, but he couldn't hide the awful truth anymore. He was hurting, hurting since day one when Hikari became his. There were going to be rough times, but nothing could help him with the danger of losing someone so close to you.

"Kouhei, I want to help you. I really do... but I can't turn my back on Hikari." I pleaded with him with my most sincere voice possible, but I felt terrible just for saying such an honest thing.

His hazel eyes were red as he glanced towards me in anger, I could see his fists balled up ready to punch me. He took a step forward with his arm raised up, so my eyes immediately closed shut. But then nothing came, I only felt arms throw themselves around my neck and a head against my shoulder. There was this damp feeling that kept growing by the passing minute as his body shook a little.

"Tell anyone about this, and I will maim you." Kouhei threatened me as my arms came around his waist to hold him in a more comfortable way, at least for me.

"No worries... this will be our little secret."

I heard him sigh in a bitter way, but I couldn't bring myself to make light of this moment. He pulled away and tried to wipe his eyes all nonchalantly, but it wasn't possible.

"I want to tell you, but she made me promise."

"I know, I understand why you can't turn your back. She trusts you, and if she can't tell me yet, then I'll have to wait until she does."

"That's the spirit, Senpai."

He rolled his eyes in a tired way as his body naturally positioned itself in a less defensive pose. We stood idly by each other for a few more seconds until he took charge and stepped forward. Without turning around, Kouhei's hand lifted up and motioned me to follow. I did, but not right behind him, I brought myself closer to his side. He didn't seem to mind, in fact, his aura was a lot brighter than earlier's. I was about to start a conversation when something clomped down the stairs and landed right into his arms.

"No Kouhei! Don't beat up Aki; he's too sweet and kind! You'll get in so much trouble if you even try!" She exclaimed frantically into the crook of his neck as her arms held onto his shirt.

"What are you doing Hikari?"

"Aki! Someone told me Kouhei came into your room and threateningly took you away! I got worried, he can be a jealous boy sometimes."

"I'm right here you know..." His voice was low and snarky while she stared deeply up to me like she expected me to say something wrong.

It took me a second to think of something decent to say, there was no way I was gonna call out Kouhei in front of him. But I couldn't lie to Hikari, not when she looked even worse than the other day. Her bags grew ten times darker and I could see she was starting to lose some weight from not eating a lot. The stress was getting to her, and for some reason it was starting to come all at once instead of little intervals.

"It was nothing, he just asked if I wanted to help him with... target practice." I laughed softly to her, but she instantly scowled and turned her head towards Kouhei.

"What did I tell you about human targets! Especially our friends, Kouhei." She angrily scolded him to my surprise, but Senpai merely rolled his eyes and rested his head against her shoulder.

"It was just a joke, I wouldn't use Akito like that. Ciel maybe... but not Akito... at least not yet." I heard him chuckle lightly, which made Hikari instantly glow with relief.

"Oh... good."

Both of them got up together, her hand held onto his as tightly as possible for a few more minutes. Then when they let go, she seemed to lose some of her light again. Kouhei didn't seem to notice, but it was obvious to me. I wanted to say something but her eyes caught my gaze as soon as I opened my mouth.

"I have to go back to class, my teacher will be wondering where I went." Kouhei groaned in an oblivious tone to Hikari's tired eyes, who merely looked up and briefly smiled.

"Yeah, me too."

Kouhei started to walk away, but she reached out and grabbed onto his sleeve without warning. Hikari brought him down to her level and kissed him with all her might, as if she was about to die at that exact moment. I couldn't help but cough and turn away, but he seemed to enjoy her little bout of excitement. They kissed for a few more seconds before he pulled away and laugh wholeheartedly for her. There was another mumble of goodbyes before Kouhei's feet echoed down the hall away from us.

"Sorry Aki, I just needed that right now."

"N-No worries, you do whatever you want. I don't judge."

"Everything's all right... right?"

"Don't need to freight, it was no big deal to get him off my back." I said as quietly as possible, which earned me a bit more of her trust from the look of her relief.

"Okay... I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I'm going to head to class too."

"Wait, before you go. My father said he could squeeze some time out to talk to you, he really would like to meet you."

She never looked so happy in her life; one minute I thought she was going to cry... but then her arms were around my waist and I could hear her laughing jubilantly. I stood there with Hikari in my arms for a few more minutes before she pulled away first and tried to hide the blush on her cheeks. Of course my natural instinct was to look away, but she was so cute that I had to let out a laugh or two to calm my insides first.

"Don't tell anyone!" She whispered furiously at me, her head snapped back to look at me so fast that I thought it broke for a second before I answered her.

"Okay! Okay! I promise Hikari! You can trust me!"

"...Okay."

"Meet me today after school by my locker, we'll walk over there together."

"Sure, see you later then?"

"Yeah, see ya later."

She finally looked calm as a genuine grin played at the corner of her lips, her eyes seemed bigger with glee. I turned around to head back to my class when I head a small gasp out of fright. I would have ignored it if a male's voice hadn't laughed in the next second. My head whipped around to see Hikari blushing under a guy's hand, her own were trying to push his away without being too forceful. But he seemed totally oblivious and was laughing even more at her silly gestures. I took a few steps forward, but she shot a wary gaze towards me so I stopped myself. Almost instantly, she forced a bright smile to appear and gingerly removed his hand away from her. She took a few steps back as he talked, but quickly waved and ran down the hall. I couldn't help but glare at the man as he passed by without a care in the world.

"Bastard..." I huffed softly under my breath as I too headed for my class, but he stopped short and loudly turned back to me.

"Did you say something?"

"No! Why would you think that?" I instantly became bothered that he heard me say that word, but he wasn't so easily fooled.

"Talking to yourself? That's nothing to be ashamed of." He said in a sarcastic way, but he hung around and tilted his head to the side just to annoy me.

"Have I seen you around here?"

"Well it's a school, and you're a teacher, so there's a slight chance you may have."

He smirked down at me, the twinkle from his eyes sort of shattered without a trace. I tried to move along but he kept close and hooked his finger under my collar. I would have thought he was trying to kiss me with how little personal space there was between us. We stood there for a moment or two before a door from down the hall slammed open. He jumped back while I gracefully slid away and allowed a girl to run past the two of us. Her blue eyes shot a death glare as she easily escaped from the teacher, who was too fat to even try to catch up.

"Everything all right, Matsuta? Tsukishima asked in a booming voice so the panting man could actually hear him speak, although it was unnecessary.

"Fine, that little devil was caught pushing pins into my seat again. I was dealing with her until she threw my coffee into my lap and escaped." My teacher, Matsuta, grumbled out of annoyance and caught my gaze.

"What are you lookin' at, Sado? Shouldn't you be in class like everyone else?"

"Well, I-"

"He was helping me," Tsukishima lied smoothly with a winning smile, his eyes were bright with a sort of excitement the moment he heard my name.

"I was carrying a heavy box and he volunteered his time to help me. Nothing to worry about, Masuta. I'll make sure he gets back without harm."

There was a calm moment until he grumbled some more and walked away towards the teacher's office. I thought I was in the clear until a cold hand patted my shoulder without warning. Tsukishima was right up behind me with a devilish grin on his face, although I couldn't see him I knew it was there. Hikari was right,

You could tell without looking.

"Sado is your name, is it? Very peculiar... whose your father then?"

"My-My father... my father's name is Yasutora Sado. Although some people like to call him... Chad."

Literally, he bursted with glee like a child on Christmas morning and nearly knocked me over. It took him a while to calm down, but once he did he was speechless. I thought it was strange to see such a grown man get excited over a little thing like that, but at the time I didn't know as much as I do now.

"Chad is your father?! Oh now everything makes sense to me! It was so obvious and simple!"

"Simple?"

"Hikari's your friend, isn't she? I can tell..."

"Yeah, she's my friend. So what?"

"Ah, the second generation is back together. I find that cute and interesting." He mumbled to himself in glee as he started his way back to where ever he was going to.

"Say hi to your dad for me, he'll be quite surprised to hear that I'm back."

"Sure."

With one more smile, he waved to me and walked down towards his class. I stood there for a moment, alone, to shudder with a nervous twitch. No wonder Hikari looked they way she did, if someone like that was stalking me I wouldn't be normal either. I had to make this quick, give her some peace before she seriously injured herself even more thanks to that sadistic bastard.

* * *

><p>I waited for her by the lockers after school was over, just like we said. It was calming to watch people go back and forth, from their activities to their sports. They had no idea what horror was lurking around the school, but then again I don't think they would have been able to handle it. Time went by slowly, but after a while, when no one was around, I started to get worried. Had Tsukishima picked her up again? Was she cowering in the bathroom by herself or something?<p>

Where was Hikari?

"Aki? What are you still doing here? It's past three-thirty." Kouhei asked me with a bewildered look as he walked up with his bow around his shoulder.

"Why aren't you home?"

"Hikari said she wanted to walk home with me, but I haven't seen her since this afternoon." I quickly made up a lie to cover for her, but he seemed displeased and concerned.

"I saw her walking with a young girl earlier, a blonde one. They went towards the-"

He was cut off by the sound of my phone, a nice relief to hear over his worried voice. I didn't know the number, it was new to me, and I would have ignored it. But Kouhei's eyes told me I should answer it, so before he said something I opened it.

"Hello?"

_"A-Aki! Help me!" _Hikari's frantic voice was loud and shaky like she was running as she made the call, her breath came out short each time she took a step.

"Hikari!? Where are you? What's the matter?"

_"H-Hollow attack! Can't you guys feel it? I'm not even blocking it this time, we're right outside school! Ow! I'm on your freaking side, you shrimp-cake!"_

_"Who you calling shrimp-cake, puffy-pie!" _Another voice angrily retorted back as I heard the sounds of a sword clang and the ferocious howl of a hollow.

"Where are you!? Senpai!"

"Hikari! Are you alright?!" Kouhei intervened and tried to take my phone from me, but I pushed him a little top hard and set it on speaker-phone.

_"F-Fine! But I don't have my badge! Or Kon! I'm useless by-AH!" _She screamed as something dropped behind her and the last thing heard was something being crushed.

"Hikari!" We shouted at the same time as Ciel ran up beside me, followed by a frazzled-looking Miyu covered in flour and frosting.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Was that Hikari? Where is she?"

"Calm down for a second guys, she said she was right outside school."

"Ya mean the forest?"

"Most likely, that's where I saw her heading with another girl earlier."

"And you didn't think of stopping them?"

"How was I supposed to know she was about to get attacked, Ciel?!"

"Calm down!" My voice rang through the hallway as my temper got the best of me, but it worked and all of them become silent and still.

"Us fighting isn't going to help her. We need to split up and search for her and the other girl."

"I can't get away, I'm already hanging on a loose thread for skipping practice one too many times."

"My girls won't let me leave until the cakes have cooled, they're evil little things."

"I'll go," C.J said with a huff of anger, his cross-country shirt was already starting to come off as he headed towards the door. "It's easier for me to find her, since I've know her scent."

"You mean her reiyoku, right?"

"Sure, whatever suits you." He playfully laughed as he ripped off his choker and turned his back to us without a moment to lose.

"Ciel, wait-!"

But he was already down the pathway and in the forest by the time Kouhei's words came out. I'd never seen him looked so stressed out, and poor Miyu looked like she was ready to cry. But I had to stay solid, I couldn't panic at a time like this.

"You guys go back, I'll help look too."

"Thanks Aki."

"Please be careful."

"Careful is my middle name, go back before you get in trouble too." I insisted with the best brave face I could give them, but they still seemed displeased as they left.

I could tell C.J was not too far off her track, so I went off slowly but with caution. I hadn't even taken two steps when I could feel his eyes staring at my backside from his classroom above. My brain told me to ignore him, but I couldn't help but look over my shoulder towards Tsukishima. He smirked and waved down to me as he pointed over into the forest with a somewhat worried look. His hand tsked forward as an indication that time was running out, and I should hurry. I could hear his snarky voice inside my head,

_"Better hurry little boy, don't want to lose our new friend... do you?"_

"Just wait... the cavalry is on its way."


End file.
